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Conductor and Guide. 
a 

Manual 

OF 

Odd-Fellowship : 

TEACHING 

ITS OEIGIN, HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, PRINCIPLES, 
AIMS, GOVERNMENT, DEFENCE, THE LES- 
SONS OF EACH DEGREE, AND THE 
DUTIES OF EVERY STATION AND 
OFFICE IN THE ORDER. 

CONFORMED TO THE 

, §tmpu$rt 

AND TO THE LATEST LEGISLATION. 
TO WHICH AEE ADDED 

Odes and Music for Special Occasions, and 
Useful Business Forms. 

Embellished with Portraits of Grand Secretary Jas. L. Ridgely, and 
of the Author, and with Engravings of the Emblems, Etc. 

By Rev. A. B. GROSH, 

P. G. OP THE R. W. GRAND LODGE, AND P. C. P. OF THE R. W. GRAND 
ENCAMPMENT OF PENNA. 

FEB 1 

NEW YOEK: 

Clark & Maynaed, Publishers, 
734 Broadway 

1882. 






Copyright. 

CLAEK & HAYNAED. 

1882. 



ENDORSEMENTS OF THE MANUAL. 



By Officers and Members of the G. L. U. S. 

Session of 1852. 

The undersigned, members of the Grand Lodge of the United 
States at its annual session, 1852, hereby recommend to the breth- 
ren at large, the Manual of Odd-Fellowship of Bro. P. G. A. B. 
Grosh as a complete and faithful history of the Principles, In- 
structions, Work, and Organization of the Order. It is full and 
accurate in its details, harmonious in conception and execution, 
and its instructions may be confidently relied upon as correct. It 
is a work that should be in the hands of every brother desirous 
of having an intelligent comprehension of Odd-Fellowship. 

Signed by 67 Grand Representatives from 27 jurisdictions, 
(nearly the whole of that G. L. U. S.,) including Past Grand 
Sire Wildey, and 7 other (now) P. G. Sires, 2 P. D. G. Sires, 2 P. 
G. Chaplains, &c 

ENDORSEMENTS IN 1867 AND 1868. 

"I have always regarded it as by far the best book on Odd- 
Fellowship ever published." Bro. N. C. Nason, Grand Scribe of 
Grand Enc't, 111., and editor of the " Memento," Peoria, III. 

"I have always looked upon your Manual as the best work of 
the kind published on the subject-matter of Odd-Fellowship." 
Bro. J. B. Escavilie, G. Sec. G. Lodge of Md. Since deceased. 

"I am free to say that it is by far the best book [on Odd-Fel- 
lowship] that I have seen." Bro. J. W. Bradford, G. Sec. G. 
Lodge of Texas. 

"I shall take pleasure in commending the Manual to all who 
are interested in the literature of our Order." Bro. W. C. Earl, 
G. Sec. G. Lodge of Ohio. 

" It is worth all other books combined, which have been pub- 
lished in exposition of Odd-Fellowship." Rev. Bro. W. J. Chapin, 
Editor of the (0. F.) "Olive Branch," Chicago, 111. 

Extract from a letter to Bro. Fred. D. Stuart, afterward Grand 
Sire. Since deceased. 

" If you refer to text-books, I am free to say that the Manual by 
Bro. A. B. Grosh has no equal, and that I consider it a great acqui- 
sition to the brotherhood." Bro Jas. L. Ridgely, G. Sec. to G. 
L. U. S., and Author of "History of American Odd-Fellowship." 

Many similar endorsements of that period could be added. 

ENDORSEMENTS IN 1871. 

" The Improved Manual by Bro. A. B. Grosh is, in my judg- 
ment, both in design and execution, exactly the thing that our 
Order needs, and should be in the hands of every Odd-Fellow/' 

iii 



LV ENDORSEMENTS OF THE MANUAL. 



Rev. Bro. I. D. Williamson, D. D., late G. Rep. and G-. Chaplain 
to the G. L. U. S. Since deceased. 

Chicago, 111., Sept., 1871. 
" The Undersigned, Past and Present Officers and Members of 
the R. W. G. L. U. S., I. 0. 0. F., hereby recommend the 'Odd- 
Fellow's Improved Manual,' by Bro. A. B. Grosh. * * * * Its 
history of Odd-Fellowship is correct, and its statements of our 
principles, teachings, operations, and organizations are full and 
clear in details, systematic in arrangement, and excellent in style 
and spirit. Brothers of every degree and office will find it a re- 
liable teacher and correct guide ; and all who wish to learn the 
aims and objects, measures and workings of our Order, will find 
them truly set forth in this comprehensive Manual." 
(Signed,) Fred. D. Stuart, Grand Sire. 

C. A. Logan, Deputy Grand Sire ; since G. Sire and now 

P. G. Sire. 
E. D. Farnsworth, Past Grand Sire. 
John W. Stokes, G. Rep. of Pa. ; since G. Sire, and now 
P. G. Sire. 

ENDORSEMENT OF ENDORSEMENTS. 
By the " Sovereign Grand Lodge, I. 0, 0. F." 

Session of 1879. 

A Censure, — In 1877 a Committee of the G. L. U. S. censured, 
as illegal, the publication of the Manual. In 1878, the G. L. U. S. 
appointed Bros. Havenner and Given, of D. C, and Rawlings, 
of Md., a Committee to examine the case. In 1879 that Com- 
mittee unanimously reported and the Grand Lodge voted, this : 

Revocation of the Censure. — "The Special Committee * * * * 
nave given the subject special consideration. * * * * and from this 
investigation have come to the conclusion that a grievous wrong has 
been done Bro. Grosh, and that common justice demands that his 
vindication should be, as far as possible, as extensive as his con- 
demnation ; * * * that Bro. Grosh should be freed and vindicated 
from any and evei-y charge affecting his character as a man and 
an Odd-Fellow." 

In that Report, adopted by the Sovereign Grand Lodge, occurs the 
following: 

ENDORSEMENT OF ENDORSEMENTS. 

" That the Manual of Bro. Grosh has accomplished great 
good for the Order, is attested by the commendations of breth- 
ren high in rank, bright in intellect, and beyond question of well 
balanced minds and judgment. That Bro. Grosh has taken due 
precaution to publish nothing that is illegal or improper, is evi- 
denced by the circumstance that scarcely a change has been made, 
(nor was the original Manual offered for sale,) until he had forti- 
fied his work by the endorsement and approval of prominent 
members of the Order, embracing Grand Sires, Past Grand Sires, 
Officers and members of this Grand Body." 

Journal Sov. G. L., 1879, pp. 8036 and 8037. 



TO THE READER. 



THE original Manual embodied results of ten years of 
arduous labor and experience in the Order, supplement- 
ed by valuable aid and suggestions from older and more 
experienced brethren. Later editions were further im- 
proved by the friendly criticisms and advice of many 
brethren, high in office and proficient in the work and 
usages of the Order. Each issue was designed (as is 
this thoroughly revised edition,) to fully inform all who 
desire to know what Odd-Fellowship is, what are its 
aims and objects, and its modes and means for accom- 
plishing them ; and to instruct Odd-Fellows themselves 
in all their duties and privileges, and to aid them to a 
knowledge of the history and principles of the whole 
Order. Thus each issue of the work, as also its present 
appearance under a new title, was the result of numer- 
ous progressive changes in the Order itself; and each 
successive edition, in turn, met warm welcome and hearty 
commendations from our ablest, best, and most eminent 
brethren in the Grand Lodge of the United States, and 
in many of our State Grand Bodies — some of whom aided 
us to make it, what it has been for many years, the 
" Standard Work of the Order." 

But " Change " inheres in all human institutions, and 

is an essential in all progress. And as Odd-Fellowship 
1* v 



VI TO THE READER. 



ever has been and "is a progressive institution," the 
Manual must keep pace with the advances of the Order, 
if it would merit and retain the high praise bestowed on 
it by some of our highest officials and ablest brethren, 

as " A RELIABLE TEACHER AND CORRECT GrUIDE." 

We respectfully urge your special attention to the fol- 
lowing most important of the many improvements in 
this edition : 

HISTOEICAL. 

1st. The history of Odd-Fellowship is now prefaced 
with an interesting statement of its possible (if not 
probable) origin — tracing it up through the earliest bur- 
ial societies of Great Britain, to the early secret assem- 
blies of Christians in Rome. 

2d. The history of the Order in America has lately 
been much enriched by the researches of our vener- 
able Historiographer and his able co-laborers.* The 
history in the Manual has been condensed and re-written 
to include some interesting details given in Bro. Ridge- 
ly's work. 

3d. A history of the Order since 1868 has now been 
added — thus making our brief historical outline com- 
plete, from the earliest probable origin of our measures 
of relief and objects, down to 1881 — the present year. 

THE NEW RITUAL. 

The secret work of the Order in use since 1845, hav- 
ing been superseded and abolished by that adopted at 

*" History of American Odd-Fellowship. The first decade. 
By James L. Ridgely, Historiographer, Baltimore, Md. Published 
by James L. Ridgely, by authority of G. L. U. S., I. 0. 0. F., 
1878." Pp. 528, 8vo. Illustrated by 52 portraits aud other en- 
gravings. 



TO THE READER. Vll 



the session of our Sovereign Grand Lodge, at Toronto, 
Canada, in 1880, all the degree lessons of the Subordi- 
nate Lodge and Encampment have been revised and 
changed in this edition, to correspond with the "new 
work." Every precept of doctrine and practice is given 
as now taught ; yet, as in all preceding issues, " the 
written as well as the unwritten secret work of the Or- 
der, I have sacredly kept unrevealed," as also the scenic 
and other illustrations by which the lessons are made 
more interesting and impressive. We have merely 
aimed to refresh the memories of those (and only those) 
who are lawfully entitled to this benefit. 

THE DEGREE OF REBEKAH. 

The great improvement made in this degree and its 
Lodges, since 1868, by extending membership, the en- 
largement of privileges and duties in the Lodges, and 
making Daughters eligible to all offices in their Lodges — 
these and other items will be found duly noticed and 
described in this Manual. 

UNIFORMED PATRIARCHS. 

These splendid organizations of public spirited breth- 
ren have all come into being since 1868 — our last 
thorough revision. We have endeavored to give full 
instructions in regard to organization, uniform, rights 
and privileges, and believe they will prove correct and 
be found very useful also. 

EMBLEMS, REGALIA, ETC. 

The various changes in all these have been carefully 
noted, and our instructions conformed to the "new 



V1H T0 THE EEADEK. 



work " and the latest usage. The new Regalia recom- 
mended for Street Parades of Encampments and Lodges, 
is given in the words used by the Sovereign Grand Lodge 
in its Proceedings. 

One set of items we have copied, generally, from the 
old Manual, which is not directed by the New Ritual, 
and is therefore of no authority, save that of its author 
and the author of this work — we mean the colors of 
the several degrees. We retain them simply for their 
appropriateness, their poetic beauty, and their philosoph- 
ical explanations of natural phenomena. Their author 
is now declared by Bro. Ridgely to be Rev. Bro. C. W. 
Bradley, who sent them to the " Covenant and Official 
Magazine " in 1842. 

These changes in our work and legislation have greatly 
taxed my mind in my advanced age ; as they required 
the revision of all the book, and re-writing of a great 
portion of the same, and great care and many comparings 
to insure correctness. I have clone all in my power to 
merit and to retain the high praises bestowed on my 
work by honored and esteemed brethren, who, in 1871, 
declared of the Manual : — " Brethren of every degree 
and office will find it a reliable Teacher and correct 
Guide ; and all who wish to learn the aims and objects, 
measures and workings of our Order, will find them 
truly set forth in this comprehensive Manual." (See 
Recommendations — 1871.) 

And now, in my 79th year, and my 39th year in Odd- 
Fellowship, believing this to be my last work of impor- 
tance for our beloved Order, I send forth this " Conduc- 
tor and Guide," with prayerful benediction on all our 
Brothers and Sisters : — 



TO THE READER. IX 



The Lord God, our heavenly Father, "bless you and 
keep you — the Lord make His face shine upon you, and 
be gracious unto you — the Lord lift up His countenance 
upon you and give you Peace ! " 

And in the spirit of this ancient benediction, and of 
our Covenanted and Brotherly Love, 

I DEDICATE THIS BOOK 

I. To all Inquirers who desire to know what Odd- 
Fellowship really is, and how it has attained to its pres- 
ent form and power. 

II. To the Families and Friends of Odd-Fellows, 
whom it may aid in encouraging their loved ones to be 
Odd-Fellows, indeed. 

III. To all Odd-Fellows, of both sexes and of every 

degree — to conduct them to every needed aid, and guide 

them onward and upward, in improving and elevating 

their characters as men and women, and as Brothers and 

Sisters in our 

Odd-Fellowship. 

A. B. GrROSH. 
Washington, D. C, ) 
August, 1881. J 



TABLE OF CONTENTS, 



PART FIRST. 
MATTERS EXTERNAL TO THE ORDER. PAaB 

Chapter I.— History of the Order 13 

Origin and Uses of Secret Societies— Antiquity of our Order ; probably 
began in Rome— Origin in Great Britain— Convivial Practices— Tbe 
Independent Order— Origin in the United States— Biographic Sketch 
of Thomas Wildey; his co-laborers Entwisle, Mathiot, Welch, Boyd, 
Marley, Ridgely> et al— Wildey's Monument— The Order under the 
Grand Lodge of the United States. 

Chapter II. — Objections and Inquiries Answered 60 

Our Name— Obligations and Penalties— Regalia, Emblems, &c. — Ex- 
pense of Regalia— Our Secrecy— Exclusiveness— Exclusion of the Poor, 
&c— Our Benefactions are General— Interference with other Institu- 
tions. 

Chapter III. — Our Government, Principles, &c 81 

Our Government— Principles— Objects— Measures and Operations— 
The Duties of Odd-Fellowship— Privileges of Odd-Fellows. 

Chapter IV. — Application and Admission 96 

Proposition— The Admission. 



PART SECOND. 

MATTERS INTERNAL TO THE ORDER. 

Chapter I. — On Initiations in General 100 

The Lodge, from the German, (Poetry.) 

Chapter II. — Of Initiation 103 

The Initiation— Regalia— Color— Emblems— Conduct of a New Mem- 
ber. 

Chapter III. — Of the First Degree — Frien dship 117 

Introduction — Scripture Lessons — Applications — Solemn League and 
Covenant— Selfishness and Envy— Regalia— Color— Emblems. 

Chapter IV.— Of the Second Degree— Brotherly Love 132 

Introduction— Abou Ben Adhem— The Good Samaritan— Applications 
— Self-Sacrifices of Moses— Explanation of Lessons — Regalia— Color- 
Emblems— Concluding Remarks— Verses by Hampson. 

Chapter V.— Of the Third Degree— Truth , 148 

Introduction— Lessons on Love and Truth— All True Emblems belong 
to Truth— Regalia— Color— Emblems— Street Regalia. 

Chapter VI. — Of the Degree of Bebekah, and Bebelcah 
Degree Lodges 158 

Prefatory— History— Honorary in Subordinates— Who are Eligible- 
Good Standing— Lodge Duties and Officers— Directions to Candidates 
—Lessons of the Degree— (Note) Ledyard's Tribute to Woman— Re- 
galia and Jewels— Colors— Emblems'— Pass- Words— Care in Using 
Them—" Friendship, Love and Truth," by the late Mrs. Manley. 

x 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. Xi 

PACK 

Chapter VII.— Of the Subordinate Lodge 177 

How Commenced— The Petition— Preparations for Institution— First 
Business Meeting— Increase of Members— Opening Lodge— Working, 
with Order of Business— Closing Lodge— Work out of Lodge. 

Chapter Till. — Duties and Deportment of Odd-Fellows... 193 

Lodge Attendance— Payment of Dues— Conduct in Debate— Gentle- 
manly Deportment— Correctness in Working— Voting and Balloting— 
Duties to Self, Family, and Others. 

Chapter IX. — Of Committees and Committee-Men 206 

General Duties of Committee-Men— Investigating Committee— Fi- 
nance Committee— Auditing Committee— Trustees and Curators- 
Charges and Trials— Relief Committee and Watchers. 

Chapter X. — Of the Appointed Officers 222 

Chaplain— R. and L. Scene Supporters of the V. G— Do. of the N. G.— 
I. and 0. Guardians— Conductor— Wardens. 

Chapter XI.— Of the Elective Officers 229 

Treasurer— Permanent Secretary— Recording Secretary— Vice-Grand— 
Noble Grand— Sitting Past Grand— Rules of Order and Debate— Use of 
the Gavel— Combined Regalia of P. G. and P. C. P. 

Chapter XII. — Of Degree Lodges, or Committees, and their 

Officers 251 

Constitutions— Conferring Degrees— Officers and their Duties. 

Chapter XIII. — Of Past Official Degrees 255 

Past Secretary— Past Vice-Grand— Past Noble Grand— For what, and 
by whom, conferred. 

Chapter XIV. — Of Subordinate Encampments 258 

How Commenced and Instituted— Opening, Working. Closing— Appli- 
cation and Admission— Committees and Appointed Officers— Elective 
Officers— Commanding Order— Conferring the Degrees. 

Chapter XV. — Of the Patriarchal Degree 267 

Introduction— Lessons— Abraham— Psalm xxxiii. 1-5— Concluding 
Remarks— Regalia and Color. 

Chapter XVI. — Of the Golden Rule Degree 275 

Introduction— Intolerance and Toleration Contrasted— Parable against 
Persecution — Note on Originals, of said Parable, and the Parsee, the 
Jew, and the Christian— Races of Men— Regalia and Color— Emblems. 

Chapter XVII.— Of the Royal Purple Degree 287 

Summary of Preceding Degrees— Introduction to the R. P. D.— Con- 
cluding Remarks— Regalia and Color— Emblems of the Encampment 
—The Pilgrimage of Life (Poetry). 

Chapter XVIII.— Of Uniformed Patriarchs...'. 301 

Origin and Progress— How to Organize— Legal Regulations— The Uni- 
form (military) — Civic Uniform. 

Chapter XIX. — Of Grand Encampments 312 

How Commenced and Constituted— The G. E. Degree— Members, Rep- 
resentatives, and Committees— Appointed and Elective Officers— Re- 
galia and Jewels. 

Chapter XX. — Of State Grand Lodges 321 

How Commenced and Constituted— The Grand Lodge Degree— Mem- 
bers, Representatives, and Committees— Appointed and Elective Offi- 
cers— Regalia and Jewels. 



Xll TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Chapter XXI. — Of Districts, their Committees and Offi- 
cers 328 

Dist. Grand Committees— Appeal Committees— D. D. G. Patriarchs — 
D. D. G. Masters— Institutions and Installations— Insubordination and 
Disorder— Reclaiming Charters. 

Chapter XXII. — Of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the 
I. 0. 0. F, , 336 

How Constituted and Supported— Members, Representatives, and Offi- 
cers— Appointed Officers— Elective Officers— Regalia and Jewels. 

Chapter XXIII.— Miscellaneous 343 

Diplomas and Cards— Pass-Words— Examination of Visitors— Honors 
and Courtesies — General Interdicts. 



PART THIRD. 

RATIONALE OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 

Introduction, 348— Origin in Human Wants, 350— Self-Love and Philanthropy, 353 
—Providential Developments, 355 — British and American Orders, 359— Religious 
Foundation, 361— Not Sectarian, 363— Devotional Forms, 368— Extent of Fellow- 
ship, 371 — Complete as a System, 374 — Odd- Fellowship an Educator, 378 — Organi- 
zation Needed, 381— Uses of Secrecy in Teaching, 383— Divine Secret Teachings, 
386 — Teaching by Practice, 389— Progressive Character, 392— Beyond the Order, 
395. 

APPENDIX A. 

ODES FOR VARIOUS OCCASIONS, WITH MUSIC. 
Two Dedication Odes, by A. B. Grosh— Dec? ication Ode, by Rev. A. C. Thomas* 
—Ode for Laying a Corner-Stone, by Mrs. F. W. Gillette *— Do. by Rev. D. K. 
Lee, D. D.*— Another, Author Unknown— Hymn, Dedication of a Cemetery, by 
A. B. Grosh *— Funeral Ode. by Rev. J. G. Forman— Do. by Rev. D. K. Lee, 
D. D.*— Do. by Rev. A. C. Thomas *—Rebekah at the Well, by Rev. A. C. 
Thomas *— Daughters of Rebekah, by Rev. D. K. Lee. D. D*— The Rainbow, 
by Mrs. S. J. Hale — Dismission, by A. B. Grosh— Friendship, Love, and Truth, 
by James Montgomery 397-410 

APPENDIX B. 

Formulary, containing Various Blank Forms in Frequent 
Use 411-417 



* Written for the Improved Manual. 



m «s 



■IP 





THE 



ODD-FELLOW'S 
IMPROVED MANUAL, 



PART FIHST. 

folfra (External to tk ®nUr. 



CHAPTER I. 

HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 

§ 1. Origin and Uses of Secret Societies. 

The earliest records of human history furnish proofs 
of the existence of secret associations among nearly all 
the nations of the earth. They have everywhere accom- 
panied, if they have not advanced civilization, and been 
the conservators, if not the promoters of religious, 
scientific, and political truth. 

Picture-writing and, afterward, hieroglyphics or ab- 
breviated symbols, were at first the only means men 
possessed of recording doctrines or events, or discoveries 
in science and the arts. And as nearly all learning was 
confined to the priesthood and royal family of each 
nation, these hieroglyphics readily suggested, if they 
did not constitute an exclusive art by which they com- 
municated with each other, and handed down to their 
successors those doctrines, discoveries, and state secrete 
which they deemed it improper to disclose to the world, 
2 13 



14 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



Hence in nearly every nation — in Egypt, Assyria, 
Greece, Rome, Gaul, Germany, and Britain — religious 
mysteries were the foundation-doctrines, and the priest- 
hood were the founders of secret societies. Even the 
rites of religious worship were, in most cases, but acted 
symbols — speaking of common religious ideas to the 
multitude, but conveying deeper meanings to the ini- 
tiated eye. 

That these early societies were often perverted and 
grossly abused, is readily admitted. But that furnishes 
no argument against their proper use. All associations 
have been corrupted or perverted. Written language 
is abused every day — the tongue itself is an unruly 
member, breathing not only prayers to God, but curses 
on our fellow-man — yet no one, for that alone, would 
doom society to solitude and silence, or abolish pen and 
press forever. 

On the contrary, the vast utility of ancient secret 
associations of priests, philosophers, and patriots, in 
advancing religion, conserving literature, art, and 
science, and in ameliorating the condition of states and 
communities, has commended them to the imitation of 
the wise and good in all subsequent ages of the world. 
Christianity availed itself of the principle in its early 
progress. When the iron heel of the bigot and tyrant 
was raised to crush the springing germ into the dust, it 
was removed into privacy and was nurtured in secret 
until the storm was overblown, or its strength was 
increased to endure the tempest. Says one, whose 
opposition to Romanism is undoubted : " No instructed 
man can deny that the Roman Catholic Church pre- 
sents one of the most solemn and majestic spectacles in 
history. The very arguments which are employed 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 15 



against its rites, remind us of the mighty part which it 
has played on the theatre of the world. For when we 
say that the ceremonies of its worship, the decorations 
of its altars, and the evolutions of its priests, are con- 
ceived in the spirit of Heathenism, how can we forget 
that it was once the witness of ancient Paganism, the 
victor of its decrepit superstitions, the rival, yet imitator 
of its mythology? When we ask the use of the lights 
that burn during the mass, how can we fail to think of 
the secret worship of the early Christians, assembled at 
dead of night in some vault, beyond the eye of observa- 
tion ? When we wonder at the pantomimic character 
of its services, its long passages of gesticulation, are we 
not carried back to the time when the quick ear of the 
informer and persecutor lurked near, and devotion, 
finding words an unsafe vehicle of thought, invented 
the symbolical language which could be read only by 
the initiated eye?"* That which has proved so bene- 
ficial, though now it has ceased to be appropriate, or 
been corrupted, may well be imitated, and superseded 
by that wherein is life and purity. 

The Albigenses, Waldenses, Cathari and other early 
Reformers, during the long persecutions of the Papacy, 
prior to the Reformation, also found in secret associa- 
tion, remote from the eye of the persecutor, safety in 
worshiping God. And all through the dark night of 
feudal ages, the various mechanic crafts and guilds, and 
other secret associations, kept the feeble light of knowl- 
edge, virtue, and freedom, glimmering amid the sur- 
rounding gloom of semi-heathen darkness, until the 
world at large, awaking from its leaden sleep, lit its 
thousand torches at the hardly preserved tapers, and 



* Martineau's "Rationale of Religious Inquiry," Lecture 11. p. 19, 



16 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



threw the blaze of a general revival of religion, letters, 
arts, and sciences, once more over our benighted race. 

And since that revival, similar associations have 
aided no less in speeding onward the flood-tide of civili- 
zation, humanity, and freedom, to its present full-flow- 
ing progress. The reform that has swept away doc- 
trines and institutions of Error and of Wrong, grown 
hoary with ages of general acknowledgment and reve- 
rence, replacing them with the True and the Right, has 
oft been nourished in the silent secresy of a few chosen 
souls, until it gained strength to go forth boldly and 
grapple successfully with the monster errors and giant 
vices of the age. And the revolution that, in a few 
days, overturned thrones and banished tyrants, replac- 
ing the one with better institutions, and giving the 
abused powers of the other into rightful hands, fre- 
quently gathered its earthquake-power in the privacy 
of isolated circles, which met to pray and deliberate for 
their country's welfare, and separated to spread abroad 
the light and strength which Heaven gave the few, to 
direct the minds and nerve the arms of the many. 

We may be told, however, that error, vice, and diplo- 
matic despotism have also had their secret organiza- 
tions — even a " Holy Alliance ! " True; so also have 
they had their public meetings and national congresses. 
Shall we reject the latter also, because bold, bad men 
have used openness and publicity for evil purposes? 

Among so-called secret societies of modern times, we 
know of none that has excelled the beneficent influence 
of Odd-Fellowship, within its own pale, in relieving the 
sick and distressed, and especially in preventing suffer- 
ing and poverty in the families of its members. Nor 
is there one whose measures of relief and benevolence 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 17 



have been more generally copied than those of this 
"friendly Order;" and seldom, if ever, (astonishing as 
it is in this age of improvement,) with any important 
addition enhancing their efficiency. 

An institution manifesting so much influence, per- 
forming so much good, preventing so much evil, and 
increasing so rapidly and widely its numbers and its 
power, may well attract public attention, and excite a 
laudable desire to know its origin, progress, principles, 
resources and measures, its aims and objects. 

§ 2. Antiquity of the Order. 

A love of mystery and blind veneration for antiquity 
has induced most associations to claim an origin trace- 
able to the remotest ages of the world. There have not 
been wanting well-meaning Odd-Fellows to render that 
doubtful service for our Order. Confounding principles 
with the institutions embodying them, they have claimed 
equal antiquity for both. And similarities, which can 
easily be found between the modes of initiation and 
other ceremonials of ancient associations and those of 
our own Order, have been triumphantly appealed to, in 
proof of the unwarranted assumption. And even where 
such likeness could not be found, it was easy to draw 
upon imagination for facts, and cover modern inven- 
tions with a seeming rust of ages. 

A brief enumeration of some of these fabulous histo- 
ries of our Order may serve to guard the unwary against 
further imposition. The greatest exertion of tradition 
was to make our great forefather, Adam, the founder 
of our Order. Prying Mother Eve was probably ex- 
cluded, and all her daughters with her! Grand Sire 
Wildey, during his visit to England, in 1826, procured 
2* B 



18 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



from one of the lodges there, an emblem representing 
Adam laying the foundation-stone of the Order, which 
emblem he presented to the Grand Lodge of the United 
States. 

Another tradition declares that the Order was founded 
among the Jewish priesthood, by Moses and Aaron. 
James Spry, C. S., in his " History of Odd-Fellowship " 
in Great Britain, mentions such an Order among the 
Jews while captives in Babylon, to enable them to cir- 
cumvent their oppressors and maintain fidelity to their 
religion ; and which was kept up until after their sub- 
jugation by the Romans. Some members being or- 
ganized as a Roman legion in A. D. 79, and proving 
faithful, the Emperor named them Fellow Citizens, and 
Odd Fellows, and gave them a "Dispensation engraven 
on a golden plate," with emblems of mixed Jewish and 
Roman ideas. (Another tradition makes this a Chris- 
tian legion ! The tradition that our Order was intro- 
duced into Britain by the Romans, A. d. 98, will be 
shown, further on, to relate, possibly, to Burial Societies 
— not to organized Odd-Fellowship, as such. 

Other fables have ascribed our origin to the Goths, 
Huns, Scandinavians, Suevi, Moors — down through 
Spain, Portugal, France — thence to England as a 
"Loyal Grand Lodge of Honor" in the 18th century, 
when it became the " London Order of Odd-Fellows!" 
All these and other baseless and silly stories, after 
repeated calls for testimony, have been utterly discarded 
as proofless and absurd, by the Grand Lodge of the 
United States. — See Journal, Vol. L, pp. 336, 337. 

Accordingly P. G. M. Ridgely, Grand Secretary of 
our National Lodge, publicly declared in his Oration, 
in Boston, June 19, 1845, after dwelling on the anti- 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 19 



quity and divine origin of our foundation-principle, 
human fraternity: — 

" I know that it has been not unusual, on occasions 
like the present, to claim for Odd-Fellowship affinity 
with secret institutions which had their origin in periods 
of time when the passions of men were fiercest, and the 
midnight of idolatry overshadowed and blighted the 
promptings of the human heart. I am here to repudiate 
such associations." 

" Although we may discover a similitude in the fact 
of initiation, in rites, ceremonies, and in gradations of 
degrees, between those institutions and Odd-Fellowship, 
we will find no traces of the principles of fraternity, 

which distinguish eminently our affiliation." 

" Odd-Fellowship invokes not the aid or sanction of 
such ages to consecrate its principles ; and if, in truth, 
these could be summoned to attest its antiquity, they 
would rather awaken just indignation against its cha- 
racter, than serve to commend its merits to an en- 
lightened public opinion. Dismissing therefore, and I 
hope for ever, the Oracles of Egyptian or Grecian 
philosophy, and the still more absurd pretences which 
would discover the sources of Odd-Fellowship in the 
Roman Camps; and assuming that its benign principles 
have been drawn from the image reflected upon man in 
his creation, let us turn to a truthful narrative of the 
origin of Odd-Fellowship, and its capacity to compass 
the brotherhood of man." 

§ 3. Origin in Great Britain. 

The origin of Odd-Fellowship as an institution is 
involved in obscurity. When the small stream first 
issues into the light of history, it is very humble also. 



20 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



The Nile, though known long before the days of 
Joseph, has only lately had its sources discovered by 
Europeans. Mr. Spry, in his "History of Odd-Fel- 
lowship," says, that " in the early part of the last cen- 
tury, the writer Daniel De Foe mentions the Society 
of Odd Fellows; and The Gentleman's Magazine for 
1745, speaks of the Odd Fellows' Lodge as a place 
where very comfortable and recreative evenings may be 
spent." In 1788, as we learn from his Biography, 
James Montgomery, the poet, wrote the song given in 
Appendix A, beginning 

"When Friendship, Love, and Truth abound 
Among a band of brothers, " 

for a society in London, bearing the motto of our 
Order, and presumed to be a lodge of "Ancient and 
Honorable Loyal Odd Fellows." All beyond these 
dates is mere conjecture. But some of these conjectures, 
though destitute of visible connection with historic facts, 
are so plausible as to seem probable, and so interesting 
(by their connection with the secret assemblies of the 
early Christians in Rome) as to merit mention and 
invite to further researches. 

History, and ancient memorials and inscriptions now 
in the Vatican Museum in Rome, show that the heathen 
Romans organized funeral societies, to secure to their 
deceased members decent burning of the body and 
inurning of the ashes, and the celebration of other 
funeral rites, including a funeral feast and a proper cele- 
bration of anniversary observances afterwards. These 
feasts were private — or, as they would now be called, 
secret — and were held under the auspices of one or 
more of the gods. And as their privacy was likely to 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 21 



excite the jealousy of emperors and priests, and the 
envy of " lewd fellows of the baser sort," the Roman 
Senate passed a law regulating the titles to their 
cemeteries, their mode of legal organization before 
a magistrate, and to secure their funeral rites, feasts, 
and other observances, together with their monthly 
meetings for business, from intrusion. All this, in 
addition to laws against sacrilege. These burial 
societies (Funeraticia Collegia, as they were termed) 
were generally formed of persons of the same trade 
or pursuit (like the " guilds " of the middle ages), 
and sometimes of the same nationality. They re- 
quired initiation fees and monthly dues; in return 
for which members were entitled to decent cremation 
(for that was the most respectable mode of disposing 
of the dead), inurning the ashes in a suitable place, 
and to have the death annually celebrated by a feast 
— all at the expense of the Collegium, or, as we would 
say, the Corporation or Association.* 

When the persecutions of the Christians in Rome 
drove them to assemble for worship " in dens and 
caves of the earth " — especially in the Catacombs 

* Dr. Kenrick ; in his " Roman Sepulchral Inscriptions," gives in 
full the By-Laws of such a Collegium, copied from a stone slab, now 
in the Vatican Museum, by which it appears that in that society the 
initiation fee was 100 sesterces (about $4.42) and an amphora 
(about 6 gallons) of good wine. The monthly due was 5 ases 
(about 32 cents). Three hundred sesterces (about $13.28) were 
expended on the funeral ; fifty of which were expended in burning 
the body, or, if the corpse could not be got, in burning an 'effigy 
representing it. There were also provisions for the members to 
feast together on anniversary and other occasions. Dr. Withrow, 
in his " Catacombs of Rome," gives a summary of the same regu- 
lations, 



22 



under the city and its vicinity — they, too, for a 
time, found in this protective law for incorporating 
funeral or burial societies, a security against the 
intrusion of mobs or even official visitations. Rev. 
Dr. Withrow says : " There is abundant monu- 
mental and other evidence of the existence in Rome, 
in the time of the later Republic and of the Empire, 
of certain funeral confraternities — Collegia, as they 
were called — much like the modern burial clubs." 
Marriott says — in the u Testimony of the Cata- 
combs " — " True it is, that in the first three centu- 
ries, Christian communities took advantage of the 
Roman law giving facilities for the purchase of land 
by Collegia Funeraticia ; and were enabled thus to 
obtain land of their own for the purposes of Chris- 
tian burial." And Hemans, in his " History of 
Ancient Christianity and Sacred Art in Italy," says : 
u An ingenious suggestion in the ' Roma Cristiani ' 
is that originally, perhaps, it was under color of 
associations for mutual aid and charitable interment 
that the Christians obtained the conceded tolerance 
gradually extended to their places of worship, as 
well as those of sepulture." And this " suggestion " 
is confirmed by the names of such " Collegia " as 
have come down to us, supposed to be Christian : 
" Church of the Brethren," " Worshippers of the 
Word," " Fraternity of Table Companions accus- 
tomed to feast together " (at Love Feast and Eucha- 
rist), and " The Collegium in the House of Sergia 
Paulina," — like the Church " in the house of Pris- 
cilla and Aquila," mentioned in Rom. xvi. 5 
and 3. 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 23 



While the ceremonials and other observances of 
these churches, in their private or secret assemblies, 
bore the names used for the observances of the 
heathen Collegia, the spirit and intent, as well as the 
acts themselves, were as different as burial was from 
cremation, and the worship of the true God, our 
Father, from that of the gods of paganism. Ter- 
tullian, in the second century, thus describes the 
uses of their initiation fees, monthly dues, and 
good-will offerings — poor and persecuted as were 
our church members at that period. " Every one 
offers a small contribution on a certain day of the 
month (or when he chooses and is able — for no one 
is compelled); it is a voluntary offering. This is 
our common fund for piety ; for it is not expended 
in feasting and drinking, and in wanton excesses" 
[as in the heathen Collegia Funeratieia], " but in feed- 
ing and burying the poor, in supporting orphans, 
aged persons, and such as are shipwrecked, or such 
as languish in mines, in exile, and in prison." 

Here, then, we have Christian churches organized 
as Roman burial societies, meeting privately (or 
secretly) to bury their dead, to celebrate their Love 
Feasts and Communion (in memory of their dead 
and risen Saviour), and to worship on Sunday — their 
Sabbath, the day of Christ's resurrection — all con- 
sistent with the privileges secured by Roman law to 
Collegia. But they raised the associations and their 
objects to a higher, more humane, and sacred plane. 
Not in feasting and riot were their monthly col- 
lections expended ; but to relieve the poor and dis- 
tressed, to support the widow and the orphan, and 



24 the odd-fellow's manual. 



to bury the dead — similar to the operations of Odd- 
Fellowship at the present time. But the connecting 
links between those early Christian Collegia and our 
Lodges, as their legitimate successors, is not evi- 
dent. Conjectures only take their place. But, as 
we have said, those conjectures have plausibility. 

We are informed, in a Chambers' Encyclopedia," 
on the authority of Sharon Turner, the great Eng- 
lish historian, that the Collegia Funeraticia of the 
Romans were probably introduced among our Anglo- 
Saxon ancestors, by their Roman conquerors, under 
Julius Csesar. He further states that records, and 
other traces of such " Burial Clubs " and " Friendly 
Societies," are found at various periods in English 
history, extending back many centuries, and show- 
ing continuous existence down to our own times. 
Now, the conjecture is not greatly strained which con- 
nects these 44 Friendly Societies" and 44 Burial Clubs " 
with those early Collegia and Christian Churches, 
and which supposes those monthly meetings to 
have shortened into weekly meetings, under social 
impulses, and to have added the Christian charities 
to the burial of the dead. And it was natural that 
love of mystery and of symbols should have added 
secret signs and passwords, and emblems and forms 
of initiation, and thus grown into Lodges of Odd- 
Fellows. It is a possible (a plausible, if not a prob- 
able) solution of a long unsolved and puzzling 
question — the origin of Odd-Fellowship 1 But, as 
we have already said, it is merely conjecture — a 
proofless theory. It would explain how the great 
doctrine of God's Fatherhood and Human Brother- 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 25 



hood came into our Order direct from the benevolent 
secret societies of the early Christians, and whence 
came our measures of fraternal sympathy, relief of 
distress, and care of the widow and orphan. 

But, coming into the domain of fact and of ac- 
credited history, we only know that our Order is, 
and is based on the great truth that God is our 
Father, and that all men are brethren. Nor can we 
trace the precise steps by which our peculiar measures 
of mutual relief in sickness and distress, and pro- 
vision for the burial of the dead, and care for the 
widow and orphan, grew up among our predecessors. 
But knowing that it was an institution originated 
by common circumstances of want and providence, 
and cemented by social feelings frequently indulged 
until they warmed into a fraternal glow, we can 
readily imagine how great principles would be sug- 
gested, and measures for carrying them out be suc- 
cessively improved. 

They were toiling laborers, in a land and under 
a government where hard-handed industry is less 
esteemed than here; where distinctions of rank and 
wealth are greater than we have ever known. Their 
daily labor barely sufficed to procure them daily 
bread. When sickness came, gaunt and terrible 
want was not far off. When calculating wealth re- 
fused them the privilege to toil for bread, they 
lacked means to seek employment elsewhere, and 
support their families meanwhile. When on the 
bed of disease or death, none could spare time to 
smooth the creased pillow, or moisten the fevered 
lips, or speak calmness to the delirious mind. W hen 



26 the odd-fellow's manual. 



they looked forward to the close of this " fitful, fever- 
ish " life, beyond it was only a pauper's coffin to be 
pressed into, a pauper's grave into which to be 
huddled out of sight, without a breathed prayer over 
the dead, or a whispered text of hope and conso- 
lation for the living. And for the surviving partner 
and bereaved children no future was presented, but 
trundling them from parish to parish until they were 
thrust into the vice and infamy of the almshouse ; 
or, perhaps, thrusting them into the streets, to grow 
up beggars or criminals, if they did not earlier perish 
in the gutter I Such were, most probably, the circum- 
stances and prospects of not a few who commenced 
our Order, devised its first crude measures of relief 
and burial of the dead, and based the whole structure 
on the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of 
man. 

Feeling that Rank and "Wealth would degrade them 
if they could, they resolved to support and aid each 
other, and to contribute weekly a portion of their 
scanty earnings for that purpose.* Feeling also how 

* The "Odd-Fellow's Keepsake" states, that the early English 
lodges were supported, and their members relieved, by each mem- 
ber and visitor paying a penny to the secretary on entering a lodge. 
If a brother needed aid, a sufficient sum was voted him. If out of 
work, he was furnished with a card and funds to re;ich the next 
lodge. If unsuccessful there, that lodge provided for his further 
progress, and thus he went on until he found employment, when 
he deposited his card in the nearest lodge. When a lodge's funds 
ran out, it sent word to other lodges, and visitors were sent to 
swell the penny collections. It was common for a whole lodge 
thus to visit a needy lodge, and hundreds of Odd-Fellows went, 
week after week, until the exhausted treasury was replenished. 

This contribution system was superseded by our more reliable 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 27 



sectarian and party strifes estrange men from each 
other, and render them powerless and abject by such 
divisions, they excluded all such topics and distinc- 
tions from their meetings, and resolved only to 
know, to labor for, and to love each other as men — 

as BRETHREN. 

§ 4. Convivial Practices. 

At that period (and is it not too much the case at 
this ?) convivial practices were common everywhere, 
among nearly all associations and gatherings of 
men. But especially in Great Britain, all social and 
moral societies, even vestry, presbyterial, and other 
church meetings for business, were stimulated 
freely with intoxicating drinks and the fumes of 
tobacco.* 

We need not wonder, therefore, that Odd-Fellows, 
at that early day, were addicted to practices which 
greater light and a purer morality now declare to be 
" inconsistent with our laudable profession." Meet- 
system of stated benefits, based on regular weekly or quarterly 
dues — making donations on special occasions only. 

But weekly dues were collected weekly up to 1835. The warden 
with his axe, heart in hand uppermost, went to each member, re- 
ceived his weekly due, and announced the payer's name to the 
Secretary. After 1835 larger amounts began' to be paid, and regu- 
lar quarterly accounts kept, as at present. 

"Even so late as 1835, Rev. Heman Humphrey, D.D., President 
of An*herst College, Mass., gave a discouraging view of the habits 
of clergymen and church members generally in Great Britain. Ho 
says, quoting from another, "In some presbyteries, (in Scotland.) 
the presbyterial dinner is furnished with liquor by fines imposed 
on various occasions," and paid by the clergy ! — See Foreign Tour. 
Vol. 2, pp. 5-32. 



ing, as they did, in public houses of not the most 
select character, the only places open to men of their 
humble pretensions and limited means, the beer-mug, 
the pipe, and the toast circulated freely, as the song 
and jest excited their mirth and hilarity ; until, by 
frequent repetition, calling for increased indulgence, 
it is no wonder that the noble objects of their meet- 
ings were too frequently made but secondary to mere 
sensual gratifications. The wonder is, not that those 
early Lodges were so greatly convivial clubs, but 
that they did not become merely such.* 

The singularity of its name, and humility of 

* We give a specimen or two of the songs said to have been sung 
in those early lodge meetings, that the reader may see the moral 
progress of the Order, by comparing them with the Odes and Songs 
in use at the present day, as given in Appendix A. 

The following is said to be a chorus : — 

" Then let us be social, be generous, be kind, 
And let each take his glass and be mellow ; 
Then we'll join heart and hand, leave dissension behind, 
And we '11 each prove a hearty Odd-Fellow," 

And the following is said to have been a long-standing favorite : — 

" Oh, what pleasure for to meet 

With friends so blithe and jolly, 
Who all delight for to dispel 

The gloom of melancholy ! 
Then let us throw all care aside 

Let's merry be and mellow; 
May Friendship, Love, and Truth abide 

With every true Odd-Fellow, 

" True Friendship is a treasure great, 
As such we may regard it ; 
May discord ne'er our Lodge intrude, 
Nor any thing retard it ; 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 29 



its origin, needed not these convivial practices to 
bring the institution into suspicion and disrepute, 
nor a defective organization to involve it in trouble 
and internal dissension. On the extension of the 
Order to Liverpool, the lodges united in a more gen- 
eral system, under the title of " The Union Order of 
Odd-Fellows," having London as its seat of govern- 
ment. This arrangement continued until about 
1809, when, after the institution of Victory Lodge 
in Manchester, some intelligent men perceived the 
•necessity of reforming the convivial practices of the 
brotherhood, and making mutual relief and charity 
the main objects of their meetings. But after agi- 
tating the subject for years, they found that even 



But let the song and toast go round, 

And every heart be mellow ; 
And may our motto still be found 

In every true Odd-Fellow." 

A contrast no less gratifying can also be made between the Gen- 
eral Rules and Regulations of that and a later period, and the state 
of the Order at this time, and especially on this continent. Fines 
were common then, for going to sleep, for getting drunk, for noisy 
demonstrations, and for introducing improper toasts or songs, 
during lodge meetings. No such penalties are needed now, for the 
General Law of the Order, that "no refreshments of any kind, 
except water, shall at any time be allowed in the Lodge-room, or 
in any of the apartments or passages thereto belonging," renders 
them unnecessary. 

If those early Rules were "behind the age" to which they be- 
longed, (which we much doubt,) the present General Law in this 
country was, when framed, in advance of not a few of the associa- 
tions of that period. Surely an institution capable of such self- 
reform and progress cannot be wanting in religious principle and 
moral power. 
8* 



30 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



the partial reform they advocated could not he 
effected without an entire change of the Order. 

§ 5. The Independent Order. 

A Convention of friends of reform was accord- 
ing^ held in Manchester, in 1813, when several 
lodges seceded in due form from the Union Order, 
and constituted the " Independent Order of Odd- 
Fellows." Under the impulse of improved prac- 
tices, this new Order advanced rapidly, and soon 
overshadowed the rival whence it sprang. In 1825 
it increased the efficiency of its government by 
instituting a Central Standing Committee in Man- 
chester, to govern the Order in the interim between 
the sessions of the Annual Movable Committee, as 
the Chief Lodge is termed. 

But the unwieldy size of the Annual Movable 
Committee soon led to the assumption and abuse of 
power by the Central Committee, which, in turn, 
led to various attempts at reform, and revolutions 
and secessions on their failure. Hence in 1815, 
according to the Oration at Boston, by P. G-. Master 
Ridgely, "there are many ramifications of Odd- 
Fellowship from the parent stock in England, all 
of which form distinct communities, holding no 
intercourse with each other, and each claiming to 
strive in the cause of human benefaction, under the 
banner of Friendship, Love, and Truth." 

Turn we now to the origin and history of Odd- 
Fellowship in America. 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 31 



§ 6. Origin in the United States. 

Several attempts were early made to establish Odd- 
Fellowship on this continent, but all successively 
failed. The early mode was by self-institution. 
Five or more Odd-Fellows formed a Lodge, received 
a charter from any neighboring Lodge, and granted 
charters to others. It is said that such Lodges were 
started in this country in the last century. Bro. John 
Duncan, of Washington Lodge in Baltimore, said he 
had been initiated in that city, in 1802. Shakespeare 
Lodge was instituted in New York, December 23, 1806 ; 
flourished till 1811 ; was heard of in 1813; soon dis- 
solved, but existed 1818 to 1822 — part of the time as 
Franklin Lodge, No. 2, says the " Odd-Fellow's Text- 
Book." Some British soldiers formed a Lodge in 
Halifax, N. S., in 1815 ; and Prince Regent's Lodge 
was instituted in New York in 1816, by some Eng- 
lishmen ; but probably its name deterred member- 
ship. The next was Washington Lodge, No. 1, 
of Baltimore, in 1819 — then Franklin Lodge, No. 2, 
of same city, in 1819 — next Massachusetts Lodge, No. 1, 
in Boston, March 26th, 1820 — next Franklin Lodge, 
No. 2, New York, January 27th, 1821 —next Penn- 
sylvania Lodge, No. 1, Philadelphia, December 26th, 
1821. Columbia Lodge, No. 1, Washington Lodge, 
No. 3, and Columbia Lodge, No. 4, New York, were 
all instituted in 1822. These were all formed by self- 
institution, and those in each city were generally ignorant 
of the existence of those in the other cities ; and even 
as late as 1823 some of .them believed themselves the 
only lodges in the United States. 

But the earliest successful institution of Odd-Fellow- 
ship in this country, and the commencement of our 



32 THE ODD-FELLOW 'S MANUAL. 



present Order, dates no further back than April 26, 
1819. The history of the Order is so blended with 
that of its founder, that I give a brief biographical 
sketch of this remarkable man, principally compiled 
from a Eulogy on his life and character by P. G. Master 
Jas. S. Ridgely, of Baltimore, Md. 

Thomas Wildey was born in London, England 
January 15, 1783. At 14 years of age he was appren- 
tice to a coach-smith. When 21 years old he was 
initiated into Lodge 17 of the Order of Odd-Fellows, 
in London, and served in every station up to the 
highest, with such ability and zeal as to win the sub- 
stantial approval of his brethren at the age of 23. 
Three years after his initiation he led in organizing 
Morning Star Lodge, No. 38, in a distant quarter of 
the city, that he might thus extend the influence and 
benefits of the Order. He was unanimously chosen its 
first presiding officer ; and during ten years of member- 
ship he was three times elected to the same chair. 
These lodges were all self-instituted — the Manchester 
Unity not having yet been organized. 

He embarked for America, July 30th, 1817, and 
reached Baltimore September 2d, where he soon found 
employment at his trade. The prevalence of yellow 
fever that autumn, exercised his sympathies, and showed 
the necessity for an order like ours. The following 
year, meeting with his fellow-countryman and brother 
Odd-Eellow, John Welch, they agreed in trying to 
establish a lodge in Baltimore. Their first call for a 
meeting on March 2d, 1819, though continued for one 
month, drew only two coadjutors, whereas three were 
necessary. The call was renewed for April 13th, when 
Messrs. John Duncan, John Cheatham, and Richard 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 33 



Rushworth met with them, and arranged preliminaries; 
and on April 26th they organized Washington Lodge. 
No. 1, by self-institution. Within one month they 
changed its organization and working to the Independent 
Order, and took measures to procure a charter. Frank- 
lin Lodge, No. 2, was opened soon after. On January 
17th, 1820, Abercrombie Grand Lodge, of Manchester, 
granted a dispensation — but it never reached them. 
Through P. G. John Crowder, of Duke of York Lodge, 
Preston, (who visited Baltimore in 1819,) that lodge 
issued a charter on February 1st, 1820, which was 
received and accepted in due form October 23d, follow- 
ing; and in June, 1821, the General Committee of the 
Manchester Unity confirmed it, thus constituting No. 1 
"Grand Lodge of Maryland and of the United States," 
with power to charter lodges accordingly. 

Prior to this there was no Grand Lodge in our coun- 
try. The P. Gs. of each lodge were a Committee of 
Supervision and Grievance, with advisory powers only; 
but their decisions were generally sustained. 

The working of a Grand and a subordinate lodge 
under the same charter, proved very inconvenient, and 
at the instance of P. G. John Entwistle, on February 
22d, 1821, Washington Lodge surrendered its Grand 
Lodge charter to the P. Gs. of Washington and Frank- 
lin Lodges, and the " Grand Lodge of Maryland and 
the United States" thus constituted, granted subordi- 
nate charters to Nos. 1 and 2. Br. Wildey, the first 
N. G. of Washington Lodge, was chosen first Grand 
Master. 

- At this period the White, Blue, and Scarlet degrees 
were the only degrees of the subordinate lodge. The 
Pink and Green, compiled by P. G. Entwistle, were 

C 



34 the odd-fellow's manual. 



called the "intermediate degrees," and were yet un- 
known in England. The Golden Rule degree was con- 
ferred in Grand Lodge, on P. Gs. only, for a charge of. 
75 cents. The special meetings of P. Gs. were called 
"Grand Committees," and their proceedings required 
the confirmation of the Grand Lodge in annual session 
to render them final. 

For several years the Order made but little progress 
Its founder and members were comparatively obscure 
men. Its name excited prejudices, which their con- 
vivial practices confirmed, and thus . obscured its merits 
from the more strict and respectable class of humane 
men. But Br. Wildey, conscious of good motives, and 
confident of the great benefits the Order must confer if 
successful, persevered, bating no jot of hope or effort. 

In 1822, having ascertained that there were lodges 
in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, efforts were 
made to effect a general union. "Massachusetts Lodge" 
was the first to respond by application to the " Grand 
Lodge of Maryland and the United States" for a charter, 
which was granted April 13, 1823, and G. M. Wildey 
was empowered to institute the same, and open a Grand 
Lodge also. On his way to execute this mission, he 
induced " Pennsylvania Lodge, No. 1," to make a 
similar application. In New York he reconciled the 
contending lodges, by inducing " Columbia Lodge, No. 
4" (the only one possessing a charter from England) 
to give up its charter for one from Baltimore. Thus 
all disputes about legality, seniority, and supremacy 
were happily settled by the kind and persuasive elo- 
quence of Br. Wildey, and all the lodges then existing 
in the United States were united in one system, under 
one acknowledged legal Head. 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 35 



The charters having been applied for and duly 
granted, the Grand Master instituted them as follows : — 
" Massachusetts, No. 1," June 9th, 1823, and the Grand 
Lodge, June 11th, 1823; the Grand Lodge of New 
York, June 24th, 1823; and "Pennsylvania, No. 1," 
and "Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania," June 27th, 1823. 

The duplex " Grand Lodge of Maryland and of the 
United States" proved unsatisfactory, when (again at 
the instance of the Grand Secretary, J. P. Entwisle) 
it gave up its charter to the several State Grand 
Lodges collectively, and united with them in organizing 
a distinct Grand Lodge of the United States, on January 
15, 1825, which held its first annual communication on 
Washington's birthday following. And thus was com- 
pleted the admirable structure which has proved so 
effective in promoting the welfare and growth of Odd- 
Fellowship in this hemisphere. 

Before entering on the history of the G. L. U. S., we 
will close our brief sketch of the labors of Br. Wildey. 

It was important that our National Head should be 
legally recognized by the Manchester Unity, and 
measures adopted to maintain uniformity in ritual and 
working, in both countries. " Br. Wildey volunteered 
the pilgrimage, and crossed the ocean at his own cost, 
reaching Liverpool on the 17th of June, 1826. He 
was most affectionately received by the authorities of 
the Order at Manchester, and was greeted as the Father 

and Founder of American Odd-Fellowship He 

was conducted throughout the entire jurisdiction — from 
city to city, from town to town, from village to village — 
everywhere received by Committees of the Order, and 
brethren anxious to do him honor." He taught them 
the Covenant and Remembrance degrees — which they 
adopted, — and the Grand Lodge degree — which they 



36 the odd-fellow's manual. 



declined, as unnecessary in their organization. They 
granted his every request, save the great object of his 
mission — the independent sovereignty of the G. L. U. S. 
in this country. Before his return, they intimated the 
desire of the Order to present him personally a valuable 
token of their esteem for him and his labors. He tear- 
fully and eloquently thanked them, but declared that 
the common cause would be better served, and himself 
most highly honored, if, instead of a gift to himself, 
they would grant to the G. L. U. S. exclusive jurisdic- 
tion of the Order in America. This self-sacrificing 
wish was heard in silence ; but on the day fixed for his 
return, he was surprised by a visit of the Grand Officers, 
who, after an address by Grand Master Derbyshire, 
among other valuable tokens, placed in his hands a 
charter beautifully executed on parchment, dated back 
to May 15th, 1826. That charter filled the wish of his 
soul, and completed his great mission, by granting sole 
jurisdiction over Odd-Fellowship in this country to the 
Grand Lodge of the United States. 

Encampments were yet unknown. The Patriarchal 
and Royal Purple degrees, received about this time, 
were, like the Golden Rule degree, conferred in Grand 
Lodges, and on Past Grands only. But on June 14th, 
•1827, the G. L. of Maryland instituted "Jerusalem 
Encampment, No. 1," with Br. Wildey, its originator, 
as Chief Patriarch; and empowered it to confer the 
sublime degrees on members of the Scarlet degree. And 
while he thus labored at home for the improvement of 
the Order, without stint of money or of time, he 
travelled and toiled for its extension and welfare abroad. 
He made official visits to State Grand Lodges, instituted 
subordinate lodges and encampments in new States, in- 
structed the brethren, adjusted conflicts, and stilled dis- 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 37 



sensions by " pouring oil upon the troubled waters." 
He carried the Order into Delaware, Ohio, Kentucky. 
Louisiana, and Virginia — everywhere a persuasive 
master-spirit of fraternity and benevolence. 

After serving as Grand Sire from 1825 to 1833, he 
continued to serve the Order, gratuitously, as General 
Agent. In this capacity he visited the northern and 
eastern States in 1835, Virginia in 1837, Pennsylvania, 
Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, Ala- 
bama, Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa, in 1838, and Ten- 
nessee, Arkansas, and Texas, in 1839; — travels then 
often toilsome and costly. He thus added State after 
State to the Order, and bound them by the strongest 
ties in fraternal union. Session after session the Head 
of the Order bowed to him in grateful acknowledgment 
of his self-sacrificing zeal and immensely valuable la- 
bors ; and a gold medal, at one period, and a service of 
plate valued at $500, at another time, were presented 
to him by the Grand Lodge of the United States as 
tokens of its admiration and esteem.* To the end of 
his long and useful life, he never was absent from 
his seat in Grand Lodge, however distant its place of 
meeting, except on three occasions when severe ill- 
ness prevented. Nor was he a mere observer — he 
served actively on Committees to near the close of his 
36 years of membership therein. "Throughout his 
whole career as an Odd-Fellow, private interests, health, 
comfort, worldly advantage in all its forms, were sur- 
rendered freely and nobly upon the altar of that Order 
which he loved and cherished with a devotion that 
never wavered, but that, as age advanced upon him and 
infirmities increased, became more and more intense." 

* These, and other precious tokens from various lodges and en- 
campments, are now preserved by the Order in Maryland. 
4 



38 the odd-fellow's manual. 



Thus loving and beloved, seeing his life-work pros- 
pered and prospering, this aged Father of a numerous 
brotherhood which soothed and sustained his feeble 
form, went gently and peacefully down the declivity of 
life to the boundary river, and there, at the good old 
age of eighty-one years, passed over into immortality 
on the 19th of October, 1861 — full of honors as oi 
years. Everywhere the Order sorrowed at his depar- 
ture, yet in gratitude that lie had been spared so long 
and to accomplish so much for humanity ; and, reciting 
his virtues and his labors, they lovingly and reverently 
buried his errors and his failings with the aged frame 
forever, in Greenmount Cemetery, of his adopted city. 

In January, 1865, the corporate authorities granted 
" a spot of ground in the square located on North 
Broadway, and bounded by Fayette Street," for a monu- 
ment to his memory. And in September following, 
the Order had erected upon that elevated spot, a noble 
monument to the Father of American Odd-Fellowship 
— a rocky-faced granite base ten feet square, from 
which rises a marble base, bearing the inscriptions — 
on the northwest, — 

The site for this monument was unanimously voted by 
the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore. 

On the northeast, — 

He who realizes that the true mission of Man on earth 
is to rise above the level of individual influence, and to 
recognize the Fatherhood of God over all, and the Broth- 
erhood of Man, is Nature's true nobleman. 

The opposite sides, — 

Thomas Wildey, Born January 15, 1783. Died 
October 19, 1861. 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 39 



Above this base rises the pedestal, bearing on the 
south side, the Seal of the Grand Lodge of the United 
States, in has relievo — and on the eastern and western, 
carvings in similar style of Faith and Hope. The 
northern face bears the inscription, — 

This column, erected by the joint contributions of the 
Lodges, Encampments, and individual members of the 
Independent Order of Odd-Fellows of the United States 
of America, and jurisdictions thereunto belonging, com- 
memorates the founding of that Order in the City of 
Baltimore on the 26th day of April, 1819, by Thomas 

YVlLDEY. 

Above the whole towers a life-size figure of Charity 
protecting orphans. The entire height of the structure 
is fifty-two feet, and is executed in chaste and beautiful 
style. 

The Order as founded by Bro. Wildey, was simply a 
humane institution — its main objects were to relieve 
brethren, bury the dead, and care for the widow and 
orphan. But gradually there were infused into its 
lectures and charges much moral and (unsectarian) re- 
ligious instruction ; and at each revision these principles 
were increased, and deepened, and strengthened, until 
its beneficial and relief measures, from being ends, have 
become means to a higher and greater end — " to im- 
prove and elevate the character of man; to imbue him 
with conceptions of his capability for good ; to en- 
lighten his mind ; to enlarge the sphere of his affections, 
and thus to lead him to the cultivation of the true fra- 
ternal relations designed by the Great Author of his 
being." Bro. Wildey planted the seed and cultivated 
the tree. It bore fruit richer and better than he had 
anticipated. " lie builded better than he knew ;" but, 



40 



as Architect, he had able advisers and helpers in his 
co-founder and mentor, D. G. Sire John "Welch, 
and in his intellectual G. Secretary, J. P. Entwisle, 
of the ready pen — these three being the first to 
whom our Order in America voted medals.* 

§ 7. Tae Order under the G. L. U. S. 

Thomas Wildey, First Grand Sire— 1825 to 1829. 
The G. L. U. S., organized January 15, 1825, held 
its first annual session Feb. 22d following; but ad- 
journed to March 30, when its officers were installed, 
and 4 Grand and 9 Subordinate Lodges reported in 
connection. 

One of its first acts was to step out in advance of 
nearly all social organizations of that period, by de- 
creeing that in no case should any refreshments ex- 
cept water be used in any of our lodge-rooms. 

In October, 1826, the Grand Charter from the Man- 
chester Unity was received through Grand Sire Wil- 
dey, and accepted. That Charter ratified and con- 
firmed the former, and " doth also hereby grant, 
authorize and empower the Grand Sire, Deputy 
Grand Sire, Representatives and Proxies of the 
Grand Lodge of the United States of America, to 
conduct the business of Odd-Fellowship without 

* Later co-workers were G. R.ep. Jno. Boyd, a wise business man; 
G. M. Augustus Mathiot, the humane and pure-minded brother who 
first urged (in 1823) the exclusion of all intoxicants from our meet- 
ings; and G. Rep. Richard Marley, who, (l saved by his love for 
the Order and the kindness of his brethren," was, ever after, "a 
very tower of strength, a trusted counsellor .... and a model 
member." All these have "gone up higher." There yet remain 
the Grand Treasurer Joshua Vansant, surnamed " Honest," " a born 
leader," and long the trusted guardian of our finances ; and the pre- 
eminently Grand Seer etary, Jas. L. Ridgely, a great moral elevating 
influence in the Order, and Historiographer of our traditions and 
annals. 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 41 



THE INTERFERENCE OF ANY OTHER COUNTRY, SO long as 

the same is administered according to the princi- 
ples and purity of Odd-Fellowship." 

In November 1827, a charter was granted for Central 
Lodge, No. 1, in Washington, D. C, which was insti- 
tuted on the 26th of that month. And the year closed 
with four Grand Lodges, having 17 subordinates be- 
side two in the District of Columbia. 

In 1828 Stranger's Refuge Lodge, of New York, 
denied to the Grand Lodge of that State any save ad- 
visory powers, and refused obedience to its decisions. 
The Grand Lodge, after all other means failed, expelled 
the msubordinate lodge, and was sustained by the G. 
L. U. S. The expelled lodge applied to England ; but. 
receiving no countenance, it submitted, and was re-in- 
stated in 1829. The Grand Lodge of the District of 
Columbia was instituted Nov. 24, 1828. 

Thomas Wildey re-elected Grand Sire — 1829 to 
1833. Degree Lodges were established in 1829, by 
the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Prior to this, de- 
grees were conferred in the lodge-room on Sundays. 
Though at first resisted as an innovation on the char- 
tered rights of subordinates, Degree Lodges have now 
become general where lodges are numerous. Country 
and other isolated lodges confer degrees after the regular 
lodge-meeting ; and in some States they are conferred 
by Degree Committees, or Deputies appointed for the 
purpose. 

This year also, it was decided that the powers of the 
Grand Sire were confined to those expressly named in 
the Constitution — rejecting vague " ancient usage." 

The anti-masonic excitement, which began in western 

New York two years before, now spread over neighbor- 
4* 



42 the odd-fellow's manual. 



ing States, and extended to all u secret societies." In 
Massachusetts, the Order died away. In Rhode Island, 
where it had just been planted, it took no root. In 
New York a contention about the seat of the Grand 
Lodge (New York, or Albany ?) aided the opposition 
and stopped all growth. In Pennsylvania the 50 sub- 
ordinates of 1832 declined to 40 in 1839. In Dela- 
ware the Grand Lodge w T as not instituted, though a 
charter had been granted. Almost everywhere the ex- 
citement lessened our numbers or prevented increase. 

James Gettys, of the District of Columbia, Grand 
Sire — 1833 to 1835, the term having been shortened 
to two years. He was succeeded by George Keyser, 
of Maryland, Grand Sire — 1835 to 1837. Efforts 
were again made to induce the English lodges to dis- 
continue their convivial practices and to cease changing 
the work of the order without consulting or notifying 
us, "that uniformity of action and principle might 
exist between us." As the Manchester Unity had re- 
vised the lectures and entirely changed the initiation, 
&c, the Grand Lodge of the United States now made 
a thorough revision of our ritual, rejecting much of 
the old version, and purging out many crudities in 
style and sentiment. In 1836 James L. Bidgely, of 
Maryland, was chosen Grand Sire, but declining, Sam- 
uel H. Perkins, of Pennsylvania, was elected at a 
special session in May, 1837, and installed at the fol- 
1 owing annual communication ; when, also, further 
correspondence was ordered with the Manchester Unity 
in reference to their alterations of the work of the 
Order. 

In 1838 P. G. Sire Wildey reported what jurisdic- 
tions he had visited, and among the lodges and en- 



HISTORY OE ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 43 



campments instituted by him was " Lone Star Lodge 
No. 1, in Texas, opened July 25th, 1838 — : the first 
charter granted by the Grand Lodge of the United 
States to a foreign country. 

In 1839, no quorum appearing, the annual commu- 
nication was not held; but at a special session in April 
following they installed Zenas B. Glazier, of Delaware, 
Grand Sire. The correspondence with the Manchester 
Unity showed that it agreed to interchange the A. T. 
P. W., but made no promise to cease lodge conviviali- 
ties, or to consult us on alterations of signs, &c. In 
1840 Grand Encampments were admitted to representa- 
tion, in despite of earnest opposition, because the quali- 
fication of the R. P. D. for all G. Representatives suf- 
ficiently protected the patriarchal branch, whose mem- 
bers were also represented as members of lodges. The 
regalia of the Order was also regulated, and the five 
degrees arranged as they are now numbered. 

In 1841 Jas. L. Ridgely was a second time elected 
Grand Sire, and again declined, when John A. Ken- 
nedy, of New York, was elected and installed. The 
grievances caused by the Manchester Unity continuing 
and increasing, the Grand Sire, in February, 1842, 
deputed P. G. M. James Alcock to confer with the 
English Board of Directors, and arrange for consulta- 
tions about, and notices of alterations. But the Direc- 
tors refused to entertain such propositions, and referred 
the whole subject to the Annual Meeting of Deputies. 
G. Secretary Ridgely and G. Chaplain I. D. William- 
son were then deputed to attend that annual meeting — 
where they were kindly received, but their efforts for 
peace and harmony set at naught. Consequently the 
annual communication of the G. L. U. S. in 1842 was 



44 the odd-fellow's manual. 



mainly occupied in considering the report of its 
Deputies. That its action may be clearly under- 
stood, we briefly state the case. 

The government of the Manchester Unity, I. 0. 
0. F., was nominally vested in its Annual Movable 
Committee (one delegate from each Lodge, and depu- 
ties from each District, some 2000 to 3000 members), 
which met on "Whit-Sunday each year. But, during 
the interim, all power was vested in about 20 Direc- 
tors, located in Manchester. This Board, by loca- 
tion and unity of interests, had controlling influ- 
ence, and got ritual, signs, etc., altered almost at 
will. As the American Lodges were not notified 
of such changes, we could not "work" with their 
new members ; for which we were censured and 
threatened ! The Unity had uniform initiation 
and card-deposit fees. Ours varied with the bene- 
fits, cost of living, etc. Yet it required us to admit 
its members at its rates — generally less than ours. 
It demanded that the habits often induced by their 
"Lodge convivialities," should be no bar to ad- 
mission. These commands to change our work, and 
rates of dues and benefits, involved the subversion 
of our government, surrender of our chartered sove- 
reignty, and lowering our standard of morality. 
The plea (Spry's History, p. 50) that British laws 
forbade "oaths of initiation," etc., did not apply; 
for we neither use nor require them. So the G. L. 
U. S. thanked its deputies and approved their 
action ; and, as the Manchester Unity had abandoned 
the ancient landmarks, broken its faith, and violated 



HTSTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 45 



the principles of the Order, our Grand Lodge unani- 
mously severed all connection, and declared itself 
the sole Fountain and Depository of Independent 
Odd-Fellowship on the face of the globe. The 
Manchester Unity then tried to establish Lodges in 
this country, and the G. L. U. S. retaliated. Both 
failed, and so each retained its separate jurisdiction. 
Howell Hopkins, Pa., Grand Sire. In 1843 a dis- 
pensation was granted for " Prince of Wales' Lodge, 
JN"o. 1," Montreal, Canada. Proxy representation in 
the G. L. U. S. was abolished. In 1844, P. G. M. 
Rev. E. H. Chapin (Mass.) ; G. Sec. J. L. Ridgely 
(Md.) ; P. G. Eev. J. D. McCabe (Va.) ; P. G. Sire 
John A. Kennedy (N. Y.), and P. D. G. Sire W. W. 
Moore (D. C), were appointed to revise the Ritual 
of the Order, harmonize it in sentiment and style, 
and make it more impressive and attractive. Bro. 
Ridgely's History states that, in the Initiatory, 
which w T as adopted last, the Warden's charge was 
furnished by Rev. Bro. I. D. Williamson; the P. 
G.'s charge, giving the basis of our system of prin- 
ciples and practice, was by Bro. Ridgely ; and the 
remainder mainly by Bro. Moore. The 1st and 2d 
Degrees were slightly amended by the Committee. 
The 3d Degree was prepared principally by Bro. 
Moore. In the 4th Degree, the opening lecture by 
the K". G., and nearly all other matter needed, was 
by Bro. Chapin. In the 5th Degree, the precepts of 
moral duty, in the opening charge of the Y. G., and 
the first paragraph of the 1ST. G.'s lecture, were by 
Bro. Chapin; the part on the colors of the Order, 



46 



by Rev. Bro. C. W. Bradley, of Conn. ; and what 
follows by Bro. Chapin, except the allusion to the 
emblem of mortality, which was by Rev. Bro. I. D. 
Williamson. Bro. Moore finally revised the whole, 
and added the forms for opening and closing, and 
for installations, etc. Of the Sublime Degrees, the 
Patriarchal was by Bro. McCabe ; the Golden Eule 
by Bro. Williamson, and the Royal Purple by Bro. 
Moore, who also gave the final revisions, the fitting 
of the parts, and preparation for the press. 

In 1845 — Thomas Sherlock, Ohio, Grand Sire — 
honorary membership in the Order was abolished. 
Lodges were permitted to give certificates to travel- 
ling wives and widows of members. The Order in 
British North America was declared an independent 
body. Terms of office in Subordinates were ex- 
tended to six months. A splendid gold watch and 
chain were voted to G. Sec. Ridgely, in apprecia- 
tion of his long and faithful services as editor of 
the " Covenant and Official Magazine," and as. G. 
Secretary. 

The Revised Ritual was considered and adopted 
at a special session, preceding the annual session of 
1845, and went into use in January, 1846. 

In 1847, Horn R. Kneass, of Pa., was installed 
Grand Sire. A reform in representation in subordi- 
nate Grand Bodies was now in progress. Originally 
each P. Grand and P. C. Patriarch became, ex-officio, 
a representative of his Subordinate in the State 
Grand Body, beyond the Subordinate's power to con- 
trol or remove him. Thus each Subordinate added 



HISTOHY OF ODD-FELLOWSTTIP. 47 



from two to four representatives (?) yearly to the 
Grand Lodge, which soon grew unwieldy, when 
its influence centred in the few members living 
nearest its place of meeting — especially those Past 
Grands who were also proxies of distant Subordi- 
nates. This centralization of power became more 
grievous as the Order increased, until a general 
demand was made in large jurisdictions for a limited 
voting representation, elected by the Subordinates, and 
that Grand Officers should be elected by allowing 
the P. G-.'s and P. C. P.'s to vote for them in their 
Subordinates. New York, which had already over 
2000 members in her Grand Lodge, and was adding 
about 800 to the number each year, led the van. In 
1846 over 100 amendments to her G\ L. Constitution 
were pending, when both parties agreed to hold a 
Convention of delegates to frame a new Consti- 
tution. It met, and adopted a new Constitution, 
only two delegates dissenting. But in Grand Lodge, 
in December, the conservatives set it aside, declaring 
the Convention unconstitutional. In the February 
session the country Lodges were represented by 
greater numbers than ever ; but the G. Master over- 
ruled all motions favoring the new Constitution, and 
refused any appeal from his decisions. An appeal 
was made to the G-. L. U. S., which ordered the G. L. 
of 1ST. Y. to vote on the new Constitution, in amended 
form, at its next session. This was done in Novem- 
ber, and the new Constitution adopted by 202 Lodges 
against 77 — 3 Lodges tied. But in December the 
G. Master, by proclamation, declared the old Con- 



48 the odd-fellow's manual. 



stitution yet in force. A special session of the.G. 
L. U. S. was petitioned for, but the G. Sire refused 
to call it ; and, instead, sent a Commission of In- 
quiry to New York. The reformers refused to attend 
what they deemed an illegal and prejudiced Com- 
mission. So an ex parte examination and Report 
was made, whereupon the Grand Sire proclaimed 
the minority the legal Grand Lodge. 

In 1848 the G. L. U. S., by a vote of 47 to 24, re- 
ceived the minority representation of New York, 
and rejected the other. The 24 dissenting voters 
protested in form, and signed and published two 
addresses, — 1st, to the rejected party, not to form a 
new Order, but to stand firm, and pledging another 
eifort to obtain a just decision ; and, 2d, calling on 
the Order itself, to decide whether our government 
shall be "one of defined powers and limited author- 
ity, or of personal discretion and undefined prerog- 
ative." 

In 1849 E. II. Griffin, Ga., was installed Grand 
Sire. Two New York delegations again appeared. 
The G. L. IT. S. voted to divide the State — giving 
to the majority the Northern, and to the minority 
the Southern, District. The spirit of reform had 
now reached the G. L. U. S. itself, which adjourned 
to meet in Cincinnati (under protest that Baltimore 
was its permanent seat) ; and that reforms might be 
considered, a special session of one week was to pre- 
cede the regular session. Unfortunately, the cholera 
and other difficulties prevented the special meeting. 
At the annual meeting, P. G. Sires were declared 
non-voting unless Representatives also. 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 49 



In 1851 W. W. Moore, D. C, was installed Grand 
Sire. Justice was now accorded to the G. L. of 
Northern New York. Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana, 
reported the Degree of Rebekah for wives of fifth 
degree members. In 1852, the " London Order of 
Odd-Fellows "(England), 233,000 members, proposed 
uniting with us. The proposal was respectfully de r 
clined, mainly for reasons like those which caused 
our severance from the Manchester Unity. 

Met in Philadelphia in 1853— Wilmot G. JDe 
Saussure, S. C, Grand Sire. All the States and 
some of the Territories had G. Lodges. In 1854, 
the G. L. of British 1ST. America having ceased its 
sovereignty, the surviving Subordinates again came 
under jurisdiction of the G. L. U. S. A new Con- 
stitution and By-Laws were adopted, embodying 
reforms of previous years. 

In 1855 — William Ellison, Mass., Grand Sire — 
every G. Lodge and G. Encampment was represented. 
In 1856, D. G. Sire G. W. Race presided, the Grand 
Sire being too unwell to attend. In his Report the 
Grand Sire feelingly referred to the dark clouds 
gathering on the nation's horizon, and reminded 
the brethren that Odd-Fellowship has nothing to do 
with distinctions of parties and sects : the earth is 
our country, and the human race our nation. 

In 1857— G. W. Race, La., Grand Sire— Bro. 
Fred. D. Stuart, D. C, was voted a testimonial for 
arranging the secret work of the Order. A silver 
tea-set was subsequently presented. In 1858, Grand 
Lodges had been instituted in Kansas and Nebraska. 
The Constitution was amended to permit elective 

5 D 



50 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



officers to make motions and debate ; also, non-elec- 
tive officers, if a majority so voted. By amend- 
ment of 1857, the Grand Sire was to be elected and 
installed at the same session when elected ; and 
Samuel Craighead, Ohio, was thus chosen and in- 
stalled. The 40th anniversary of the Order (April 
26, 1819) was ordered to be generally celebrated in 
1859. The Order had been planted in the Sandwich 
Islands ; and now the G. L. (with 7 Subordinates) 
of Victoria, Australia, applied for admission. Fur- 
ther correspondence ordered. 

In 1860, at Nashville, Teun., Grand Sire Craig- 
head being too unwell to attend, D. G. Sire E. II. 
Fitzhugb presided. The session was held in the 
State Capitol, and visits were paid to the widow of 
President Polk and to the tomb of President Jack- 
son. Adopted forms for dedicating halls and lay- 
ing corner-stones. Robert B. Boylston, S. C, was 
elected and installed Grand Sire. 

In 1861 civil war separated the G. Sire from the 
G. Lodge, and only 15 Grand Lodges and 7 Grand 
Encampments were represented. D. G. Sire Milton 
Herndon ; Ind., presided. Much business was deferred 
because many Representatives were absent. Debt 
and diminished resources of the G. L. induced G. 
Representatives to donate a portion of their mileage. 
In 1862 the venerable presence of Father Wildey 
was missed — he had departed Oct. 19th, 1861. Only 
11 G. Lodges and 11 G. Encampments were repre- 
sented ; but, for the first time in several years, the 
G. L. was out of debt, and had ample means for 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 61 



current year. J. B. Nicholson, Pa., was installed 
Grand Sire. 

In 1863, had correspondence, by flags of truce, 
with the Order in Virginia and Georgia ; also 
heard from Louisiana. The Order was prospering 
in the Sandwich Islands, but declining in Vermont. 
In 1864 met in Boston. Emphasized the law for- 
bidding all refreshments, except water, in any place 
used by the Order ; and forbade using the name or 
regalia of the Order at any celebration, fair, etc., 
where intoxicants are to be used. Isaac M. Veitch, 
Mo., was installed Grand Sire. 

In 1865 all the State Grand Bodies were repre- 
sented, except those of N. Carolina and Florida. 
The divided Grand Bodies of New York asked to 
be re-united ; and again united in August. In 
1866, every representation was present except the 
Lower Province of B. N. America. The monument 
to Father Wilcley was dedicated by solemn cere- 
monies and unveiling its crowning statue of Charity, 
after a grand procession. The Grand Bodies of Md. 
had laid the corner-stone on the preceding anni- 
versary of the Order. All use of the name of the 
Order in aid of any lottery, raffle, or gift enterprise 
was forbidden. All Subordinates were asked to aid 
Lodges impoverished by the war. A copy of the 
portrait of the late Grand Sire Boylston, of S. G, 
was ordered sent to his widow. James P. Sanders, 
of N. Y., was installed Grand. Sire. 

In 1867 met in New York city. The Lower Prov- 
ince of B. N. America was again represented. A 



52 

Grand Lodge was chartered for Colorado. Grand 
Bodies were directed to request their Subordinates 
to celebrate the 26th of April, each year. Various 
public charitable institutions, Jewish and Christian, 
were visited — giving and receiving pleasure and 
profit. In 1868, directed each Grand Body to cele- 
brate the Semi-Centennial of the Order in 1869, and 
arranged for a national celebration by the G. L. 
U. S. in Philadelphia. Approved charter for the 
Grand Lodge of Victoria, Australia, and authorized 
the introduction there of the Patriarchal Branch. 
Authorized Rebekah Degree Lodges to charge dues 
and grant benefits. Adopted a flag for the Order. 
Authorized the Grand Sire to visit and aid Southern 
jurisdictions: and appointed G. Rep. B. W. Dennis 
to visit and revive the Order in Vermont. E. D. 
Farnsworth, of Tennessee, was installed Grand Sire. 
April 19th, 1869, was celebrated as- the Semi-Cen- 
tennial of the Order throughout the extent of our 
Odd-Fellowship. An especially appropriate cele- 
bration by the G. L. U. S. was held in Philadelphia. 
Held the session of 1869 in San Francisco, Cal. 
Arrangements had been made by the California 
brethren to defray the extra cost of such a session, 
and they obtained free passes both ways for mem- 
bers, and reduced rates for visitors, west of Omaha. 
The G. L. U. S. and visitors met the California 
Committee at Omaha, Sept. 10th, where they had a 
grand reception. In charge of the California Com- 
mittee, they reached Sacramento on the 14th, where, 
on the 15th, they laid the corner-stone of an Odd- 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 53 



Fellows' Temple, with grand parade, followed by a 
banquet. On the 16th, at Alameda, G. Rep. Nathan 
Porter and lady gave them hearty welcome. At 
San Francisco they were escorted by the Order and 
an immense multitude of citizens to the theatre, 
where a splendid reception was held. Excursions, 
festivities, visits of various kinds, and courtesies 
from officials, institutions, and numerous citizens, 
filled every leisure hour during their stay. On 
September 20, after a large procession and hearty 
welcome, the session began in Covenant Hall, 29 G. 
Lodges and 16 G. Encampments represented — every 
jurisdiction except Vermont. Seven Past G. Sires 
were present. Special Commissioner Dennis re- 
ported success in reviving the Order in Vermont. 
The Grand and Deputy G. Sires were requested to 
visit Southern jurisdictions. Besides routine and 
ordinary business, a bay wood (evergreen laurel) cane, 
with gold head, inlaid with quartz specimens — all 
products of California — was presented to Grand 
Secretary Ridgely by Nathan Porter, G. R., on 
behalf of California Odd-Fellows ; and a gold ring, 
made of filings of " the last spike," to the G. Sire 
by G. Rep. Fox. The session of 1870, in Baltimore, 
was occupied with German affairs. Templar Lodge, 
Cal., had donated $1200 toward expenses of P. G. 
M. John F. Morse, Special D. G. Sire, to introduce 
the Order into Germany. After many difficulties 
and delays, the first Lodge was instituted at Stutt- 
gart, Dec. 1st, 1869. D. G. Sire F. D. Stuart re- 
ported his visitations in the South as generally bene- 
ficial, and advised further aid and counsel. Further 



54 the odd-fellow's manual. 



provisions were made to restore brothers suspended 
for K P. D. Fred. D. Stuart, of D. C., was installed 
Grand Sire. 

In 1871, met in Chicago — every jurisdiction rep- 
resented. Special D. G. Sire Morse reported Lodges 
instituted in Stuttgart, Berlin, and Dresden, Ger- 
many ; and in Zurich, Switzerland, and an Encamp- 
ment in Berlin. G. Sire Stuart reported successes 
in visitations South, and recommended visits by the 
G. Sire to all Grand Bodies while in session, which 
were provided for accordingly. In 1872, chartered 
the " G. L. of the German Empire," for Prussia, 
"Wurtemberg, Saxony, etc. Commended the prompt 
and efficient aid of the Order to the sufferers by the 
Chicago fire, last year. Provided an Assistant and 
other aid for the G. Secretary. Emphasized the 
prohibition of Sunday Lodge meetings, and im- 
proved the law for reinstating " dropped " members. 
Appointed a committee on history, and provided 
for collecting archives, etc. Commended founding 
libraries, asylums, and schools by the Order. First 
Lodge in Lima, S. A., (Jan. 3, 1872,) chartered. In- 
stalled Dr. Cornelius A. Logan, Kansas, Grand Sire. 

In 1873, D. G. Sire Durham presided— G. Sire 
Logan being in Chili, S. A. Chartered the " G. L. 
of the Eepublic of Switzerland." Appointed G. 
Sec. Kidgely Historiographer of the Order, to be 
aided by those of State Grand Lodges. A balance 
of $402, left in General Relief Fund, was sent to 
the yellow-fever sufferers of Shreveport, La. Pre- 
sentations to G. Sec. Ridgely were made: 1st, a 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 55 



u silver brick," from Bro. Martin White, Key., by 
{•jr. Rep. Harmon, Cal. ; and, 2d, an ingeniously sym- 
bolic cane, from Bros. Seborn and Danbury, by G. 
Rep. Washburn, all of Tenn. 

In 1874, met in the Capitol, Atlanta, Ga., D. G. 
Sire Durham presiding — G. Sire Logan in S. Amer- 
ica. Adopted forms for celebrating the Order's 
anniversary, and a new form for funerals. Re- 
affirmed the exclusion of spirituous, vinous, and 
malt liquors from our halls, etc. Adopted street 
uniform for uniformed Patriarchs. Installed Milton 
J. Durham, Ky., as Grand Sire. 

In 1875, met in Indianapolis, Ind. G. Sire Dur- 
ham presided. Were heartily welcomed by eminent 
officials and associations, and united in a grand pro- 
cession. Authorized chartering the " G, Lodge of 
Chili, S. A." Appropriated $1000, part compen- 
sation, to Historiographer Ridgely, and approved 
his plan of the work, Accepted invitations to 
the National Centennial, Philadelphia ; and accord- 
ingly, 

In 1876, met in Philadelphia, G. Sire Durham 
presiding — every home and foreign jurisdiction 
represented, save Montana, British Columbia, and 
Switzerland. P. G. Sire Wollheim and P. G. Sec. 
Schsettle, of the German Empire, were present as 
visitors. The special features were : 1st. An appro- 
priate sermon in the ancient Christ Church, Sunday, 
Sept. 17th. 2d. On the 18th, A. M., reception at 
Musical Fund Hall. 3d. Noon, visited Independ- 
ence Hall. 4th. P. M. and evening, reunion of P. 



56 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



G. Eeps. at Musical Fund Hall. 5th. On the 20th, 
" Odd-Fellows' Day," Grand Parade,— 17,568 mem- 
bers, 92 brass bands, and 9 drum corps in line. 
Crowds of brethren and people lined the streets and 
avenues to and in Fairmount Park. 6th. Singing 
and speaking in the Park at 4 stands, representing 
East, West, South, and North ; and then all united 
in the centre, where appropriate ceremonies, speak- 
ing, and singing closed the day. Charters approved 
for a Lodge in Lima, Peru, and one in Bolivia, 
S. A. ; and for an Encampment and Lodge in Lon- 
don, England, instituted in 1875. John W. Stokes, 
of Pa., was installed Grand Sire. 

In 1877, G. Sire Stokes presided. Directed the 
G-. Sire or D. Gr. Sire to visit Australia and New 
Zealand to settle difficulties and complications re- 
specting authority. Commended efforts to establish 
an invalid Odd-Fellows' Home in Florida. Defined 
the standing and rights of suspended members. 

In 1878, G. Sire Stokes presided. Approved a 
Supreme G. L. Charter for Australasia, granted by 
Special Commissioner, D. G. Sire Harmon, and (from 
and under that) G. L. charters to South Australia, 
Victoria, and to New Zealand. Approved Charter 
to Lodge No. 1, Copenhagen, Denmark; also the 
History of Odd-Fellowship, as published by Bro. 
Ridgely. Allowed Daughters of Pebekah to retain 
membership in their Lodges, independent of the 
status of their husbands. Adopted a parade regalia 
for Subordinate Lodges ; also regalia and jewels for 
members, officers, and lady P. N. G.'s of D. of P. 



HISTORY OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 57 



Lodges. Installed Bro. Jno. B. Harmon, California, 
as Grand Sire. 

In 1879 G. Sire Harmon presided. Appointed 
Commissions to institute Lodges in Bermuda and 
in Austria-Hungary. Adopted the title of " Sove- 
reign Grand Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F." as the 
proper name of the G. L. U. S. Appointed a Com- 
mittee of thirteen to revise our Ritual, and re- 
duce the number of the Degrees. Approved the 
project for an Invalid Odd-Fellows' Home in Jack- 
sonville, Fla. Adopted a funeral service for use in 
Lodge-rooms. Established the status of Daughters 
of Rebekah (independent of that of husbands and 
brothers), and the use of P. Words of that Degree 
and its Lodges. 

The 56th annual session (1880) was held in 
Toronto, Canada, — the first ever held on foreign 
soil, — Grand Sire John B. Harmon presiding. It 
was a notable session ; characterized also by " a 
cordial and assiduous hospitality" of Canadians 
generally, " which was without parallel in the his- 
tory of the Order." Members and friends began 
arriving on September 16th. On 17th, a grand pro- 
cession, 98 carriages, 50 bands of music, 10 banners, 
3187 Odd-Fellows on foot in line, and 40,000 spec- 
tators. Went to the Great Industrial Exposition, 
and were welcomed by Mr. Withrow, President of 
the Exposition, Lieut.-Governor Robinson, Mayor 
Beaty, and G. Master Cole. In reply, the Grand 
Sire eloquently contrasted the present grateful hospi- 
tality and fraternal welcomes with the savage exul- 



58 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



tations of 1813, when the U. S. army took Toronto 

(then York), and burned the Government buildings ; 
and of 1814, when the British forces took Wash- 
ington, and destroyed the Capitol and President's 
house. On Sept. 18th a grand excursion to Georgian 
Bay, and meeting with Odd-Fellows from Parry 
Sound. While in the city was a parade of tbe Uni- 
formed Patriarchs, and in the evening a serenade to 
Lieut. -Governor Robinson and Mayor Beaty, and 
their families, followed by a banquet at the Queen's 
Hotel. On Sunday, 19th, services in the Cathedral, 
G. Chaplain Venable preached on the Good Samar- 
itan — ■" Who is my neighbor?" On the 20th, p. m., 
Gov. and Mrs. Robinson received the members and 
their ladies. (In all the hospitalities, ladies were 
included as givers and receivers.) On the 21st, a 
cab jaunt to see the city and visit institutions ; and 
in the evening the reunion of P. G. Representatives, 
attended by officials of the Province and city, and 
many citizens of both sexes. On the 22d, the S. G. 
Lodge, during a recess, received the Lieut. -Governor 
and Mayor. The session began on the 20th, in the 
Legislative Hall, which was granted for the pur- 
pose, by a welcome from G. Master Cole, and a re- 
sponse by the G. Sire, and closed on Monday, 27th. 
Besides considering some 18 appeals, much business 
was transacted, among which was the following: 

1. Amended the Constitution so that only a four- 
fifths vote is required to alter the secret unwritten 
work, and two-thirds to alter the secret written 
work. 2. Adopted the new Ritual for Subordi- 



HISTORY OP ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 59 



nates (Encampments and Lodges), reducing the 
degrees in each to three only. 3. Ordered the new 
Ritual to go into effect on January 1, 1881, as the 
only lawful work thereafter of the Order — any 
other to be unlawful and void. 4. Classed members 
of the old 1st and 2d Degrees as of the new 1st or 
Pink Degree ; of the old 3d and 4th Degrees as 
new 2d or Blue Degree ; and of the 5th as new 3d or 
Scarlet Degree. 5. Adopted an addition to the 
present funeral service. 6. Voted permission to 
Lodges to agree to receive members of other Lodges, 
if veterans of 25 years of good standing, without 
first drawing cards from their Lodges for deposit. 
7. Allowed an aged or infirm brother, whose Lodge 
becomes extinct, to retain membership in his En- 
campment by depositing his card from the Grand 
Secretary of his Grand Lodge. 8. Grand Bodies 
holding biennial sessions may elect their officers for 
two years. 9. Encampments may provide rules for 
the better government of uniformed Patriarchs. 10. 
Added the " baldric " or collar to the Encampment 
regalia. 11. Voted that adopting " Eddy's Tactics 
and Drill" for uniformed Patriarchs, did not in- 
clude the funeral ceremony. 12. Voted an un- 
married daughter of a Scarlet Degree member in 
good standing, whose parents are dead, to be eligible 
to the D. of R. Degree, if proposed by the 1ST. G. of 
her father's Lodge, or guardian; or to membership 
in a R. D. Lodge if properly proposed on certificate. 
13. Decided that a legally adopted daughter of a 
Scarlet Degree member is eligible, as above ; but 



60 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



a stepdaughter is not eligible. 14. Directed the 
balance $1000) of the Yellow-Fever Relief Fund 
(which had been paid back to the S. G. L.) to be re- 
turned to the G. L. of Mississippi, for the relief of the 
widows and orphans made by the pestilence of 1878. 
15. Repealed the " Dormant" law, and provided for 
reinstating "dormant" or suspended members. "16. 
Urged all Odd-Fellows and their families to sustain 
and read our periodicals. 17. Installed Bro. Luther 
J. Glenn, of Ga., as Grand Sire. 



CHAPTER IT. 

OBJECTIONS AND INQUIRIES ANSWERED. 

Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth ? . . . . Come 
and see. — John i. 46. 

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous 
judgment. — John vii. 24. 

Odd-Fellowship having increased so rapidly, and 
spread its organizations so widely, within a few years, 
naturally attracted the attention of nearly all classes of 
the community. Rising, too, as it seemed, out of the 
midst, and in defiance of a violent excitement against a 
supposedly similar institution, every objection urged 
against that was pressed against this. Some yet regard 
it with horror. Mystery they deem but another name 
for evil, and all "secret societies" dangerous to the 
moral, social, and political well-being of the country 



OBJECTIONS AND INQUIRIES ANSWERED. 61 



A few regard it with contempt, believing it a chiidish 
mummery, calculated to enroll only weak minds, fond 
of the notoriety acquired by singularity of name and 
conduct, and vain of queer titles, banners, and regalia. 
Others, viewing its rapid increase, are disposed to 
examine it more closely, to learn what has thus ex- 
tended its operations in the land. And not a few, who 
have noted its deeds of benevolence, and its salutary 
social influences, desire to trace its outer deeds to its 
inner life, and ascertain what are really its ultimate 
aims and highest objects, and what the means by which 
it purposes to accomplish them. 

To all these, and especially to the latter two, we now 
address ourselves, in all truthfulness and honesty. We 
will endeavor fairly to state and candidly to answer 
objections, unfold our principles, and declare fully our 
objects. And the portions prepared especially for 

" Brethren of our friendly Order," 

of every degree, station, and office, will further disclose 
the life which animates us in all the obligations, duties, 
privileges, and operations of our fraternity. 

§ 1. Our Name. 

It seems that of a mere convivial club, or> at best, 
of light-minded persons, who delight to practice "frolic 
and fun," and affect singularity of conduct to gain no- 
toriety among the curious and ignorant. 

The names Nazarene and Christian were once terms 

of even greater obloquy and reproach than is that of 

Odd- Fellow. Yet, in despite of odium and singularity 

then, none are now more honorable and honored in 

6 



62 



THE ODD-FELLOW S MANUAL. 



Christendom. Condemn us not, then, merely because 
of our name. 

True, it is a singular one ; but we chose it not. It 
came to us, attached to an institution which, for many 
years, in another country, had fulfilled its great motto, 
"Friendship, Love, and Truth," by visiting the sick, 
relieving the distressed, and burying the dead. Hence, 
singular as that name is — yea, odious as it may sound 
to some — it has been rendered dear to our hearts by 
the glorious deeds of benevolence and philanthropy 
performed under it, and by the great moral and reli- 
gious principles associated with it, until its singularity 
is lost in its moral value and beauty. To us, Odd- 
Fellow is an honorable name. We love to wear it, and 
to bear its reproach we deem an honor. 

To be an Odd-Fellow, in the sense it has in our 
minds, you must act and speak like an honest man; 
you must do all the good to mankind that is in your 
power ; you must reverence God ; do to your neighbor 
as you would have him do unto you, and keep yourself 
free from all excess and pollution. Alas, that some 
who bear the name do not sustain the character ! To 
do the work of an Odd-Fellow, you must attend the 
couch of the sick and dying, the side of suffering and 
distress, the house of mourning, the grave of the de- 
parted, the abode of poverty and want, and " visit the 
widows and fatherless in their afflictions," as well as the 
Lodge-room, where social intercourse and fellowship 
abound. Become an Odd-Fellow, and sustain the cha- 
racter, and perform the duties, and share the privileges 
of that name, and it will sound as sweet to you as it is 
dear to us. 



OBJECTIONS AND INQUIRIES ANSWERED. 63 



2. Our Obligations and Penalties. 

We have been branded as " an oath-bound association, 
whose members are obligated, by bloody penalties, to 
favor each other wrongfully, and to punish violations of 
these obligations in some severe and terrible manner;" 
yet there is not a single obligation administered among 
us, inconsistent with any duty we owe to self, family, 
country, mankind, or to our Creator. All the aid we 
are to render each other, is and must be within the 
limits of strict humanity and patriotism, of morality 
and religion. We invoke no penalty on life or limb, 
person or property: nothing but the social and moral 
consequences which follow the violation of any similar 
pledge of sacred honor among the rest of mankind; 
consequently, no one among us is bound, in any way, 
to revenge any revelation which an unworthy member 
may make. We are not, therefore, an oath-bound in- 
stitution, nor are our obligations oaths — no jurist would 
call them such — but simply solemn pledges and cove- 
nants, wherein our yea is "yea and amen." 

§ 3. Our Regalia, Emblems, $c. 

They are denounced as childish, foolish, unbecoming 
good men and serious purposes and philanthropic 
deeds. 

An unthinking young man ridiculed a grave gentle- 
man whom he saw engaged, with soap-suds and a pipe, 
blowing bubbles in the air. Yet that ridiculed man 
was Sir Isaac Newton, who, by that seemingly childish 
employment, was ascertaining the laws of the Almighty 
in relation to light and colors ! One of our uses of 



64 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



regalia, is to teach us to beware how we judge men by 
mere appearances. 

Possibly the objector himself wears some simple 
article, given him as a memento by a dear friend ; or 
keeps near him some seemingly unmeaning thing to 
remind him of important duties to God and man. Per- 
haps he statedly observes some ceremony, full of solemn 
teachings to his soul. However childish that memento 
or token, however senseless that ceremonial may seem 
to others, to him they are above all value, because full 
of precious memories and solemn teachings. 

Such our decorations, emblems, and forms are to us. 
The light shed on their meaning, as we advance in Odd- 
Fellowship, and their novel applications to impress on 
our minds important principles and precepts, render 
them peculiarly pleasing and highly useful. The thought- 
ful Odd-Fellow is continually reminded by them of im- 
portant duties to God and man. 

Besides this, our regalia, jewels, and some of our 
emblems are used to mark grades and stations among 
us. As such, they are not more puerile, certainly, than 
the laced coats and caps, the plumes and epaulettes of 
the military, or any other badges used among men to 
distinguish station and office. But they are not only 
our uniform, the very colors are made to teach us im- 
portant lessons and duties. 

§ 4. The Expense of Regalia, #c. 

It is possible that, in some cases, more money is 
expended in furnishing our Halls and Lodge-wardrobes 
than is necessary to instruct mind and heart, to refine 
the taste, and to administer to comfort and convenience. 
A.8 with churches and with individuals, so with Lodges 



OBJECTIONS AND INQUIRIES ANSWERED. 65 



and Odd-Fellows — the desire for display too often out- 
runs ability and utility. We will not defend any extra- 
vagance ; yea, we even condemn it, let the censure fall 
where it may. But within the reasonable limits of 
ability and utility, how stands the objection to Odd- 
Fellowship on the score of useless expense for finery ? 

Our rooms should be made pleasant and comfortable 
for all classes of our members, to induce their attend- 
ance, and render the transaction of our business a 
pleasant duty. If the wealthiest are willing to abate 
some of the luxurious comforts of their homes, and learn 
the uses of simple conveniences, the poorer brethren 
should not object to some expense beyond their frugal 
accommodations, where they may learn the cares and 
proprieties belonging to a richer style of living. Even 
should it lead the humble man to aspire after more 
comforts and greater neatness than he is accustomed to 
in his own home, so as to lead to habits of more pro- 
ductive industry and economy to procure them, we do 
not think himself or family will be injured thereby. 

But, aside from this homeliest view of the subject, 
taste and propriety require that there should be a 
fitness between the means and the end. The emblems 
by which important truths are illustrated and enforced, 
should not be so clumsy, inelegant, and coarse, as to 
mar the teaching. The decorations among which men 
meet to learn the gentlest and most beautiful practices 
of Christianity, should not be ungraceful and tawdry. 
The school for the elevation of human aspirations and 
character, should not be clad in uniforms calculated to 
drag down the imagination and belittle the feelings. 

" But if the Order aims to benefit the poor, why not 

bestow its cost in charity ?" If the owner of the Koohi- 

Qoor diamond, estimated worth thirty millions of dollars. 
6* K 



66 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



were to sell it. to give the money to the poor, some one 
else must huy and possess it, and so become subject to 
the same reproach: "Better sell it, and give the money 
to the poor !" Could it be made to furnish well-paid 
employment to hundreds who need it, the case would 
be different. The cost of our decorations has been 
employed in giving needed labor (and by that labor, 
honorable subsistence) to hundreds and thousands of 
industrious men, women, and children. So far, then, 
it has not been expended in vain. 

"But of what utility was that labor?" When the 
humble and grateful Mary (Mark xiv. 3-9, and John 
xii. 3-8) took " a pound of ointment of spikenard, very 
costly, and anointed the head and feet of Jesus," there 
was complaint that the expensive article had not been 
sold for the benefit of the poor. But Jesus declared 
that the act had a utility worthy of its cost ; and re- 
minded them that the poor could be remembered at 
any other time and in some other manner. So, if our 
regalia and emblems tend to increase our benevolence, 
and stimulate us to greater activity in well-doing, then 
is their manufacture no idle work, their cost no useless 
expense. The food or raiment that money would have 
purchased, would, in a few months, have been consumed 
or worn out : that is, supposing that amount would have 
been furnished by its contributors, if they had not been 
incited by Odd-Fellowship, which is not certain. But 
here remain these decorations and emblems, still teach- 
ing their lessons of benevolence, continuing for many 
years their influence in leading hundreds to remember 
their poor and distressed brethren, their families, and 
the widow and the orphan. That they do this, and 
much more of good besides, we are well persuaded ; and 



OBJECTIONS AND INQUIRIB8 ANSWERED. 67 



so would be the objector, could he place himself fully 
under their influence. 

" For ye have the poor with you always, and when- 
soever ye will, ye may do them good." When any sick 
or distressed brother, when any widow or orphan of a 
deceased Odd-Fellow, asks our aid and receives it not, 
because we have expended beyond our proper ability in 
decorations, jewels, or regalia, then let censure come in 
its severest form ! But till then, we trust that no Odd- 
Fellow will lack emblems to refine the taste, and instruct 
mind, heart, and hands in well-doing. 



§ 5. Our Secrecy. 

Ring what changes you may upon the suspiciousness 
of secrecy, the tendency of evil to seek darkness and 
mystery, and of good to come to the light that it may 
be manifest, still, you will hardly contend that secrecy 
is, in itself, and necessarily, a conclusive proof of evil 
If not, then it is uncharitable to condemn any individual 
or institution on the score of secrecy alone. Now let us 
fairly understand each other. Our secrecy " hath this 
extent — no more:" — 

1st. We are secret (as every family is or should be 
secret) in regard to the personal affairs of any member 
which are submitted to us for counsel, aid, admonition, 
rebuke, or punishment. They are his secrets, not ours, 
much less the world's. And baser would we be to pub- 
lish them, than if we were to squander property or 
money that had been solemnly confided to our keeping. 

2d. We are secret (as a merchant is secret in regard 
to correspondents and customers) in concealing the 
names of informants, and their information concerning 
the character and standing of applicants for member- 



68 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



ship. We have no right, morally, to injure those who 
confide in us ; and even the laws of our country would 
punish as libel or slander the exposure of the applicant's 
faults. 

3d. We are secret (as Christ's followers are com- 
manded to be) in bestowment of donations to distressed 
brethren or their families. Unfeeling, indeed, must be 
the prying soul that would insult the relieved by pub- 
lishing their poverty in boasting of his own charity ! 
May Odd-Fellows ever be reproached for secrecy rather 
than be guilty of such unchristian conduct ! 

4th. We are secret (as every banker and business- 
man is secret) in our modes of ascertaining whether a 
stranger-applicant is a partner in those funds, a portion 
of which he is about to withdraw. Each bank or mer- 
chant has secret signs by which he knows whether the 
draft presented him is genuine. We have signs and 
tokens by which to know men, whether they are genuine 
Odd-Fellows, whether they are entitled to receive what 
they ask. A meddling, prying fellow, seeking to find 
out and counterfeit the secret signs of a trader, would 
be rewarded for his ingenuity with the contempt of all 
honest and honorable men, even if the worthy forger 
escaped the penitentiary ! Of what higher estimation 
is he deserving who impertinently seeks to possess him- 
self of the secret signs (and expose them to others pro- 
bably no honester than himself) by which we guard the 
treasury of the dependent sick and distressed, the widow 
and the orphan ? 

5th. We are secret in our forms and ceremonies of 
initiation, and the use of our emblems in the instruction 
of our members. This use renders the lessons more 
impressive ; and to disclose the mode of teaching would 



OBJECTIONS AND INQUIRIES ANSWERED. 69 



deprive the instruction of the charm of novelty, and 
impair its efficacy. 

That this is the utmost extent of our secrecy, honest 
and truthful men of all denominations among us are 
ready to testify. These secrets, then, belong to no 
individual alone, and therefore no one has a moral right 
to disclose them. They are the Order 's only. They 
concern not the world, and belong not to the public. 
An individual out of the Order has no more right, in 
morals or propriety, to pry into them, or demand their 
revelation, than he has to turn eavesdropper among 
neighbors, or ask a wife to reveal the confidential con- 
versations of her husband. The disposition to acquire 
and expose the secrets of others, is as wrong as any 
iniquity it seeks to uncover : as impertinent as peeping 
into a business-man's letters or a neighbor's market- 
basket or dinner-pot. And yet there are persons — 
honest, high-minded people in all else — who have al- 
lowed this spirit so far to govern them, that they 
condemn, without evidence, every so-called " secret 
society," and pry into its private affairs, and encourage 
others to expose them to the public. Surely such 
conduct must arise from a want of due consideration of 
what is due to their own characters as honest, decent 
men ! The same principle, applied to individuals, would 
justify a clergyman for exposing cases of conscience 
confided to him by his flock; an attorney for betraying, 
unto loss of property, character, and even life, his client; 
a physician for disclosing the affairs of his patient, 
and all he sees and hears in the houses he visits ; and a 
military commander who informed the enemy of his 
plans of action, and the countersigns on which depend 
the security of his army ! Such anti-secrecy people, to 
be consistent, should have no secrets of their own, and 



70 

keep none confided to them by their families and friends ; 
should expose their most private thoughts and feel- 
ings to the public ; relate their domestic conversations 
and conjugal endearments; expose purse, pocket-book, 
and private papers at all times and places ; never vote 
a folded ticket, seal a letter, receive secret advice, 
bestow private alms, or offer secret prayer ! For, if 
secrecy is wrong, or proof of evil, all these things are 
evils. 

We will only add that, properly speaking, Odd-Fel- 
lowship is not a secret society. Our Constitutions and 
By-Laws, our times and places of meeting, the names 
of our officers and members generally, the amounts and 
sources of our receipts, the items of our expenditures, 
our principles and objects, the proceedings generally of 
our National and State Grand Bodies, all these are as 
public as those of any legislature or other public de- 
partment in the country. As well, therefore, might 
you call any individual or family, the United States 
Senate, or President's Cabinet, or a Grand Jury — all 
of whom have secrets — "a secret person," "a secret 
family," "a secret senate or cabinet," or "a secret 
jury," as to call us « a secret society," merely because 
we have secrets. 



§ 6. Our Exclusiveness, 

Some complain that we do not invite all, and receive 
all who apply, without regard to sex or health; that 
we select the few, only, who perhaps least need our 
moral inculcations and pecuniary aid. If our principles 
are so moral, and our teachings so pure and salutary. 
and our objects so benevolent, why not throw our 



OBJECTIONS AND INQUIRIES ANSWERED. 71 



portals open to the world at large, and so extend io 
the utmost the utility of our principles and organization. 

The selection of a few individuals out of the mass, to 
unite them in associated efforts for the diffusion of im- 
portant principles, and to exercise them in the practice 
thereof, that they may become the teachers of others, 
appears to be the method of Divine Providence itself. 

When God determined to institute among men a pure 
worship of himself as " God of the whole earth," he 
called Abram, of Ur, in Chaldea, to be his "friend" 
and agent in the work. Revealing himself to the pa- 
triarch, he constituted him the progenitor of that 
" chosen people" who were to be the depository of 
Divine truth until the world should be prepared to 
receive and practice the mysteries of human redemption. 
Every precaution was taken to make these selected pupils 
of God "a peculiar people." They were to be " Odd 
Fellows" among the nations around them, not only by 
hereditary descent, but also by a singular form of 
government, a singular code of laws, and a singular 
ritual of worship, all adapted to keep them from mingling 
with other nations and adopting their idolatries. The 
decorations of their temple and tabernacle, the regalia 
of their priesthood, the emblems for their instruction, 
were all prescribed for them, even to form, color, and 
material. The mode for initiating proselytes from other 
nations was clearly defined; and certain physical de- 
fects and conditions of health were made causes of 
perpetual exclusion from "the congregation of Israel." 
Whole nations, even, on account of their mental or 
moral condition, or associations connected with their 
history, were excluded en masse. Thus prepared, these 
pupils of Jehovah gradually developed the lessons of 



72 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



Divine Providence, and became, in turn, the teachers 
of mankind. 

When the Shiloh (according to the Christian faith) 
appeared on earth, he pursued the same system of se- 
lecting a few from the mass for the purpose of private 
instruction and associated effort. Step by step, Jesus 
advanced his Apostles in the knowledge which they 
were afterward to teach the world by example and 
precept. And when the proper period arrived, in obe- 
dience to the Master's command, they went forth and 
proclaimed openly what they had learned in secret. 

The same method was observed by the early teachers 
of Christianity, in the formation of churches of the 
faithful. And their peculiar discipline, and their system 
of mutual aid and relief among themselves, have con- 
tinued/ to a greater or less extent, down to the present 



If we leave the theatre of special providences, we 
find the same system of selection for the inculcation of 
truth and duty adopted by the wisdom of all ages. 
The family, if we may consider it as a merely natural 
institution, is such an association. Private in its cha- 
racter, secreting from the public its dearest and holiest 
operations, it teaches its members not only those prin- 
ciples and precepts which are to be entertained and 
practiced among its own members, but those also per- 
taining to the social circle, the political gathering, the 
worshiping assembly, and the world at large. Each 
family has its peculiar modes of teaching and training, 
which it shrinks from exposing to the cold and unsym- 
pathizing curiosity of strangers. And some of these 
are secret not only to those that are without, but even 
to a portion of the household itself. 

Odd-Fellowship stands on the same general basis of 



OBJECTIONS AND INQUIRIES ANSWERED. 73 



necessity and utility in its selections and exclusions. 
It has its own mission to perform, its special principles 
and their applications to teach, and its own peculiar 
methods of culture and training. That its operations 
may be in fraternal harmony, it requires a selected 
number, qualified to aid in preparing each other for the 
proper discharge of their special and general duties to 
themselves and families, to the Order, and to mankind, 
and to God. 

§ 7. Our Exclusion of the Poor, Feeble, $c. 

It is sometimes objected to us that we pass by the 
indigent poor, and the constitutionally enfeebled, who 
most need our benefits; whereas, if our pretensions of 
ameliorating human poverty and suffering were genuine, 
we would admit the crippled, deformed, diseased, and 
indigent, instead of excluding even the healthy poor by 
requiring of them pecuniary fees and contributions be- 
yond their ability to pay. 

As our means are necessarily limited, so must be our 
plans and efforts. "What king, going to make war 
against another king, sitteth not down first and con- 
sulteth, whether he be able with ten thousand to meet 
him that cometh against him with- twenty thousand ? 
Or else, while the other is a great way off, he sendeth 
an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace." (Jesus, 
in Luke xiv. 31, 32.) Our means of relief are but as 
one thousand compared to the vast army of suffering 
and want which we are urged to meet, and which num- 
bers its hundreds of thousands ; how, then, could we 
hope to prevail against it — how save ourselves from 
overwhelming defeat and utter loss ? We have appor- 
tioned our labor to our means : we have selected an 



7* THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



enemy of our own strength, whom we can keep at bay, 
and hope ultimately to conquer. Should Ave succeed, 
and still have means left, we will then enlarge our field 
and use our means for additional efforts. 

But how soon would our means be exhausted, if we 
admitted the impoverished and diseased indiscriminately 
to share in them. Or, rather, our means would never 
be accumulated, but drained as rapidly as they flowed 
into our treasury ; for there would be many to demand, 
and but few to contribute. And when those who raised 
the fund came to need it, they, also, would be added to 
the unsupplied many whom even the public charity 
cannot relieve. Better, then, the constantly increasing 
good, however limited at present, than the great but 
decreasing effort which can confer but a temporary 
benefit, and must end in only another addition to the 
general misery. For, let the individual of a large 
fortune attempt to relieve all, by a lavish expenditure 
of his wealth, and he himself will soon need alms. 

That we require the poorest applicant to contribute 
as much as the wealthiest, is true, as it is a matter of 
necessity. Equality in payments is essential not only 
to equality in benefits, but also in feelings. We aim to 
abolish all considerations of wealth or poverty in our 
fraternity ; to make all feel that as Odd-Fellows, at 
least, they are not only brethren, but equals. He who 
did not pay an equivalent, would feel degraded at re- 
ceiving benefits : would feel that they were not his just 
due, but alms. Under this feeling of dependence on 
his wealthier brethren, he would not feel free to act and 
speak in opposition to their wishes — would not feel that 
he had an equal right to direct the expenditure of our 
funds, or the affairs of the Order. Hence we pay the 
rich member, when sick, the same amount per week 



OBJECTIONS AND INQUIRIES ANSWERED. 75 



that we pay to our poorer brethren. "We would con- 
serve the independence of the latter, and exclude all 
feeling of moneyed superiority from the former. They 
must not only be told that all are equal, but they must 
be made to know, to realize it in every possible way, 
that they may freely act on it under all circumstances* 

Even when extraordinary events render it necessary 
to give extra aid to an unfortunate brother, it still comes 
from a fund he aided to create for such purposes, and 
to which even his wealthiest brother may be reduced to 
apply. His relief comes not, therefore, even then, from 
one or a few individuals, but from all, himself included. 

Now let us turn from defence to advocacy, from 
denial to assertion. Not only are we not exclusive in 
any bad or improper sense, but 

§ 8. Our Benefactions are General. 

The charity of Odd-Fellowship begins at home, but 
it does not operate there only. The Gospel designed 
for the whole world, began with its Founder, was ex- 
tended to his disciples, spread to the Jews, and only 
after it had been preached for several years at Jeru- 
salem, was Paul made an Apostle, and sent to preach 
its "unsearchable riches" to the Gentiles. So with 
every work of benevolence, every enterprise for the 
general good. It must have a beginning, then an en- 
larged theatre in its progress, before it can fill the 
bounds of its consummation. Girard, in his provisions 
for the education of orphans, strictly speaking, excluded 
none ; his aim was to include certain children who had 
before been excluded. From the entire mass of chil- 
dren in the world who were excluded previously, he 
commenced selecting as large a number as the means 



76 the odd-fellow's manual. 



assigned would allow. He broke the total exclusion 
always existing, by a partial inclusion, designed to go 
on increasing toward a still greater inclusion as the 
means therefor should increase. 

So with any good deed. It is aiming at the general 
benefit by a breaking up of the exclusion from good, 
that previously existed. 

So with our Order. It is breaking up the exclusion 
that exists all around us, by including, one after an- 
other, as many as our means, measures, and objects will 
allow. If any thing, it is extending itself too rapidly 
and greatly. Out of the millions of men and families 
who need such instruction and aid as we provide, but 
who were excluded therefrom, we select thousands, and 
for them we break the bonds of exclusion from these 
blessings, and ly them we extend these blessings again 
to other thousands still. Thus the exclusion existed 
before our Order was organized; and its operations 
have been, not to increase, but to lessen that exclusion. 
And this work it is pursuing with unflagging energy 
and unabated power, as rapidly as its means increase 
and its agencies are multiplied. If the past may be 
regarded as a prophecy for the future, so rapidly is it 
lessening the number of the excluded, and increasing 
that of the included, that a period may arrive when 
there will be no more exclusion of any. 

But there is another sense in which our benevolence 
is general. Our benefactions are not confined within 
the Order. We allude not to the donations sent to the 
famishing millions of Ireland, or distributed with liberal 
hand among the uninitiated whom general calamity had 
reduced to destitution and want. Every good deed 
performed to a single individual expands its beneficial 
effects, directly or indirectly, still further. The aided 



OBJECTIONS AND INQUIRIES ANSWERED. 77 



individual is thereby enabled to aid others : the bene- 
faction he receives, he passes along the line of humanity 
till it is partaken of by many. Hence, every want we 
relieve is so much subtracted from the pressing claims 
on society at large. And every case of suffering we 
prevent, (and our prevention far exceeds our relief ^) is 
so much saved from the general amount of constantly 
recurring suffering, pauperism, and crime. For we 
wait not until a brother's illness has utterly exhausted 
his means, reduced his family to want, and broken 
down his manly spirit into a tame submission to a life 
of dependence and pauperism. No ; we step in at the 
beginning of illness, and we keep afar off the utter 
poverty which might bring submission to pauperism or 
drive to crime. The aid we give is received with a 
proper dignity and self-respect, so that when ability 
returns, the family resume their usual avocations, bless- 
ing the Order which sustained and aided it without 
bestowing alms ! Who will say that a general benefit 
is not bestowed on society at large, by this peculiar 
work of Odd-Fellowship ? 

The Friends, (commonly called Quakers,) and a few 
other religious denominations, are accounted w&rthy of 
double honor as members of community, because they 
not only support their own poor, so that no member of 
their churches ever becomes a public charge, but they 
also pay their full share for the support of the poor 
generally. We, also, support our own poor, and thus 
relieve the public of so much of the burden that would 
otherwise swell the demand for more taxes. And yet, 
as citizens, Odd-Fellows give in private charity and 
pay in public taxes no less than others who are so 
ready to sneer at the » benevolence of Odd-Fellowship," 
and cry out against "the selfishness and exclusiveness" 

7* 



78 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



of the Order. Why not give our institution credit 
then, for a general as well as special benevolence \ 
Why continue to assert that our good deeds are con- 
fined to the Order, and are therefore narrow, restricted, 
and selfish? They reach out their tendrils of aid be- 
yond where the vine runs in its restricted training. 
And most of those aided by its measures and means, 
are thus taught that heavenly sympathy which disposes 
them to use the means thus furnished for the blessing 
of others in their turn. And thus good offices, which 
had their spring in Odd-Fellowship, are sent around 
the ever-widening circle of humanity. 

§ 9. Interference with other Institutions. 

We have sometimes been accused of interfering with 
other institutions, assuming their duties, operating to 
their disadvantage ; placing our Order, in fact, as the 
all-in-all, even to the neglect and abandonment of the 
religious institutions of all denominations, collectively, 
"the Church." 

When the Patriarchs Abraham and Lot were some- 
what involved by the quarrelsome conduct of their 
respective herdsmen, the brave, peaceable father of the 
faithful would not allow his duties to be compromised 
by a small matter of profit or loss. " And Abram said 
to Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me 
and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen : 
for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee ? 
Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me : if thou wilt 
take the left hand, then I will go to the right ; or if 
thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the 
left." (Genesis xiii. 8, 9.) In the same benignant spirit 
we would say to every good institution, and every be- 



OBJECTIONS AND INQUIRIES ANSWERED. 79 



nevolent soul who may harbor a suspicion of our inter- 
ference : View the vast field of human ignorance, desti- 
tution, suffering, and crime around us. See how very 
little of the mighty waste has ever been improved, or 
even disturbed by all the agencies ever set in motion. 
Does it not make the whole heart sick and the head 
faint to contemplate the almost hopelessness of re- 
lieving all that destitution and wo, and removing all 
that ignorance and crime ? Is there not more than 
enough for us all to do ? 

Odd-Fellowship has not, cannot assume a hostile 
attitude to any religious, moral, or benevolent institu- 
tion. We war only with vice and misery. Individuals 
among us, enthusiastic in praise of the Order, may 
have incautiously claimed for it more than it merits. 
Others, alienated from institutions of religion by various 
causes, may pretend to have found in Odd-Fellowship a 
complete substitute for any or all other institutions. 
But the great mass of the Order, by their actions, have 
shown that they believe our Order to be but one among 
the many agencies of Divine Providence for the ame- 
lioration of human suffering, the removal of evil, and 
the elevation of human character. 

Says the Rev. D. W. Bristol, D. D., of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, "That the Christian Church covers 
the whole ground of human obligation, civil, moral, 
and religious, we most cheerfully admit. It is indeed 
governed by the most perfect and beneficent code which 
could have been given to the world ; one which bears 
in its unrivalled excellencies, the indelible impress of 
its Divine origin. But by such a conception, can any 
one suppose we should be justified in renouncing all 
other institutions and societies, because the (-'(institution 
of the Church had preoccupied the ground ? What, 



80 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



then, would become of civil government, and all the 
moral institutions which have arisen legitimately out 
of this religious constitution ? Other societies are esta- 
blished and justified under the same beneficent influence, 
such as Temperance, Moral Reform, Peace, Tract, 
Christian Alliance, Seaman's Friend, and all humane 
societies — all having their constitutions and by-laws, 
boards of officers, with all the attendants of separate 
organizations, even terms of membership, peculiar to 
each. But who ever supposed that these excellent 
societies were substitutes for the Christian Church ? 
It is judged, and we apprehend correctly, too, that 
although these came immediately under the rule of the 
great constitution, yet that they could be better pro- 
moted by a separate organization than in the usual 
course of moral charities : hence they were established. 
We hold, and, we think, justly, the same course of 
reasoning on the subject of Odd-Fellowship." — Golden 
Rule, Vol. III. p. 365. 

It appears to us that the duty of every true Christian 
— of every good man — is, to judge the tree by its fruits 
— every man and every institution by its works. And 
it appears to us a dictate of common sense, that the 
institution which is doing works of benevolence and 
charity cannot be obnoxious to condemnation, or con- 
sidered in opposition to any other good cause or asso- 
ciation. The beloved disciple once erred on this point 
— " Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, 
and he followeth not us ; and we forbade him, because 
he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not : 
for there is no man which shall do a miracle in. my 
name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that 
is not against us is on our part." ^Mark ix. 38— i0.) 

We repeat it, then, Odd-Fellowship interferes with 



ODD-FELLOWSHIP — ITS GOVERNMENT, ETC. 81 



no organization of a moral, religious, or benevolent 
character. She bids a hearty "God speed" to every 
association that would rob mankind of their sorrows or 
vices ; and leaves each to manage its peculiar portion 
of well-doing in its own way and season, without at- 
tempt at interference or self- appropriation. And it 
cannot be that her lessons or labors will effect any 
deterioration of the characters or influence of her mem- 
bers, so that they will be worse men in any domestic, 
social, political, or religious circle in which they may 
move. That some few in our Order are not made better 
and wiser, is no more the fault of our teachings and 
operations, than it is of religion that some of its pro- 
fessors are ignorant, hypocritical, or vicious, in despite 
of all its holy teachings and salutary influences. " Judge 
not," then, "according to the appearance, but judge 
righteous judgment." 



CHAPTER III. 

ODD-FELLOWSHIP — ITS GOVERNMENT, ETC. 

Having given a brief history of our Order, and an- 
swered the most prominent objections usually offered 
against it, we will now give a bird's-eye view of its 
form of government, and then state definitely what 
Odd-Fellowship consists in, how it operates, and the 
advantages that may reasonably be expected from a 
union with it. 

F 



82 THE ODD-FELLOW ? S MANUAL. 



§ 1. Our Government. 

Our form of government is peculiar, having been 
gradually developed by our circumstances and our 
wants. Its formative power, flowing downward 
from its head, allies it to the patriarchal. Its repre- 
sentative form, and power derived from its constitu- 
ents, make it republican. Its spirit of equality, and 
mutuality in working and benefits, constitute it a 
fraternity. It is composed of Subordinate Encamp- 
ments and Lodges, represented in. their respective 
State or National Grand Bodies. In America, these 
State or Provincial Grand Bodies are further repre- 
sented in 

1. The Sovereign Grand Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F * 
is constituted of representatives from State, Terri- 
torial or other Grand Encampments and Lodges in 
America — one for each Grand body having less than 
one thousand members, and two for each having one 
thousand or more members. They are chosen for 
two years, but so that one half retire every year. 
The S. G. Lodge not only has supreme power over 
the general laws of the Order, but is also the court 
of final appeal and the chief legislature of the Order 
in America. It has power to create Grand Lodges 
and Grand Encampments where none legally exist, 
and Subordinate Lodges and Encampments where 
there are no Grand Bodies of that grade, and to 
recall the charters of the same. Its officers and 

*The Sovereign Grand Lodge of the I 0. 0. F., as the Fountain 
and Depository of what is distinctively known as "American" 
Odd-Fellowship, and as the creator of Subordinate and Grand En- 
campments and Lodges in Europe, Australasia, and "the isles of 
the sea," claims supreme jurisdiction throughout the world, in all 
universal laws and usages of the I. 0. 0. F., and over all the secret 
written and unwritten work of the same, as it is only by strict uni- 
formity in these that full fellowship in spirit and unity in working 
can be secured and kept for the entire Order. 



ODD-FELLOWSHIP — ITS GOVERNMENT, ETC. 83 



members must be Past Grands of the Royal Purple 
degree — must reside in the jurisdiction and be mem- 
bers of the Grand Encampment or Grand Lodge 
electino; them, and therefore contributing members 
of a Subordinate Lodge and Subordinate Encamp- 
ment, in good standing in that jurisdiction. Its 
elective officers are chosen every two years at the 
annual session, held on the third Monday (and week 
succeeding) in September, and usually in Baltimore. 
The Grand Secretary and his Assistant and the 
Grand Messenger are the only officers who receive 
compensation for their services ; but the travelling 
expenses of the other officers in going to and from 
the session are paid, and (usually) five dollars per 
day while actually employed. Grand Representa- 
tives who attend the sessions receive daily pay and 
mileage, as may be determined at each session. Its 
revenues are derived from fees for Charters, the sale 
of the books and Odes of the Order, and (about) 
seventy-five dollars' tax from each State Grand 
Body for every representative to which it is entitled, 
beside ten per cent, on the revenue of all Subordi- 
nate Lodges and Encampments existing where there 
are no State Grand Bodies of those branches. 

2. State Grand Lodges consist of the Past Grands in 
their respective jurisdictions, (not less than seven in 
number,) who have received the Past Noble Grand's 
Degree, and been admitted to receive the Grand Lodge 
Degree, the same being contributing members of a Sub- 
ordinate, in good standing. In most Grand Lodges, 
the power of voting (except for Grand Officers) and 
deliberating is restricted to a certain portion of their 
number, chosen for that purpose by themselves ex- 
clusively, or by the Subordinate Lodges. But all Past 
Grands in good standing arc permitted to attend the 



84 

sessions, and are eligible to office, in Representative 
Grand Lodges as in others. Each Grand Lodge is 
to the Subordinate and Degree Lodges in its juris- 
diction, what the Sovereign Grand Lodge is within 
its jurisdiction ; subject, however, to the national 
head. Its revenue is derived from fees for Charters, 
dispensations, and a percentage on the revenues of 
its Subordinates. 

3. Grand Encampments are to the Patriarchal 
branch of the Order what the Grand Lodges are to 
the other branch ; are constituted of P. C. Patriarchs 
(and in some States of P. H. Priests), and are gener- 
ally governed and conducted in the same manner, 
having supervision and authority over Subordinate 
Encampments only. 

4. Encampments are constituted wholly of brethren 
who (having received the three subordinate degrees 
of the Order) have received the Patriarchal, Golden 
Pule, and Poyal Purple Degrees — the Sublime De- 
grees, as they are often termed. They must be duly 
chartered by the Grand Lodge of the United States, 
or the Grand Encampment of the State in which 
they exist, must pay a percentage of their revenue 
annually to the power under which they exist, and 
must submit to be governed by the same in all gen- 
eral laws and usages. They work in the P. P. De- 
gree—charge dues and pay benefits. A member ex- 
pelled by his Lodge loses standing in his Encamp- 
ment ; but if only suspended for non-payment of 
dues, his good standing continues one year after that. 

5. Degree Lodges are chartered by State Grand 
Lodges only for the purpose of conferring degrees. 
They can hold no property beside their furniture, 
regalia, &c. ; nor receive dues, beyond the mere 
degree fees ; nor pay benefits to their members. 



ODD-FELLOWSHIP — ITS GOVERNMENT, ETC. 85 



They are constituted of the members of the various 
Lodges in the vicinity, who, after being judged 
worthy to receive the three degrees, have here at- 
tained to the Third Degree; for Degree Lodges do 
business in the Scarlet Degree only. 

6. Subordinate Lodges, like Subordinate Encamp- 
ments and Degree Lodges, derive their powers from 
the chartering power, and exercise no legislative func- 
tions except to make their own By-Laws, and in the 
management of their pecuniary affairs. They con- 
sist of free white males, of twenty-one years and 
upward, believers in a Supreme Intelligence, the 
Governor of the Universe, who having been accepted 
and initiated into the Order, continue to pay their 
dues, and properly demean themselves according to 
the Laws of the Order. Five are necessary to con- 
stitute a Lodge, and while that number desire to 
retain their Charter, the Grand Lodge will not per- 
mit the Lodge to be dissolved. A member may 
withdraw at any time, on application, and by pay- 
ing up all arrearages, either to unite with any other 
Lodge, or utterly from the Order. In due season, 
after initiation, he may apply for and receive certifi- 
cates entitling him to receive the first three degrees 
of the Order, for the sums and on the conditions 
prescribed. And after receiving these, he can apply 
for admission into an Encampment. All Subordinate 
Lodges require dues to be paid, and pay benefits. 

A member who has served a term (26 nights) in 
an appointed office, becomes eligible to the Secre- 
tary's or Vice Grand's chair. After six months' ser- 
vice as V. G., he is eligible as N". G. After serving 
a term as N. G., he is entitled to membership in the 
Grand Lod^e to which he is attached. 

o 

8 



86 the odd-fellow's manual. 



7. The Degree of Rebekah is conferred without 
charge, in a Subordinate Lodge, on its Third Degree 
members, their wives (or widows), daughters (including 
the lawfully adopted), and sisters — such daughters and 
sisters to be 18 years old and unmarried. See Part II, 
Chap. VI. , On Rebekah Degree and its Lodges. 

§2. Our Principles. 

To a good and energetic man, who will use the facili- 
ties the Order affords for self-improvement and well- 
doing, its means and advantages are so numerous, and 
its agencies so far-reaching, that our language may 
appear faint and cold compared with the reality. And 
yet we fear to speak unguardedly. We would not raise 
expectations that may be disappointed. Let it, then, 
be fully understood here, once for all, that — 

1. Odd-Fellowship is not the regalia or decorations 
of its officers and members, nor the banners and dra- 
pery of its Lodge-rooms. These have their meanings 
and uses, but they are not Odd-Fellowship. They 
should be used as not abusing them, and valued for 
their teachings ; but they could all be changed, or dis- 
pensed with, and Odd-Fellowship still remain. 

2. Nor is it its form of government. That has gone 
through great and almost total changes, (and may be 
as greatly changed again,) and yet Odd-Fellowship 
survives, essentially the same as ever in its principles. 
It is not best, therefore, to be hypercritical about any 
remaining defects in the forms in which its power is 
lodged, or the modes by which that power operates. 
These, it is true, should manifest fully the beneficent 
spirit of the Order, and conform to the institutions of 
the land, and the spirit of the age we live in, and should 



ODD-FELLOWSHIP — ITS GOVERNMENT, ETC. 87 



operate, in the most kind and effective manner, to ele- 
vate the condition and ameliorate the present wants 
and sufferings of our race. But our Order is a pro- 
gressive one : it has greatly progressed in the past, and 
progression is even now gently and yet surely at work 
in it. And, under every form of government through 
which Odd-Fellowship has passed, or may yet pass, it 
has always consisted of the same general principles, 
and wrought out the same general good. Its ability to 
conform its government and measures to its own spirit, 
is greater now than ever ; and in due season, therefore, 
all needed changes and additions will undoubtedly be 
effected. 

3. Odd-Fellowship is not its mere ritual and cere- 
monial. Whatever language may be used in its lectures 
and charges, whatever emblems, signs, or pass-words it 
may prescribe to insure the instruction and mutual 
recognition of its members, these are but means ; the 
objects they aim to effect are the ends. Instruction 
may change or alter its drapery, but the lessons taught 
— the ideas embodying the principles — these are the 
spirit and the life. It is not well, therefore, to rest in 
these outer habiliments, or to stumble at any seeming 
unfitness in them ; but to pass on and secure the reali- 
ties they unfold and impart. 

4. Nor is Odd-Fellowship even the works of the 
Order : it consists not wholly in deeds of mercy, be- 
nevolence, and brotherly love. These, it is true, are 
its genuine manifestations, without which we might pro- 
nounce it asleep or departed : these are the outward 
appearances by which it discloses its inner life and its 
true self. But to produce these works, there must be 
an interior spirit, working out for itself this living foriL 
and action. 



88 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



This internal, truly living spirit of Love and of univer- 
sal fraternity, pervading all our rituals and ceremonies ; 
recognized in emblems, colors, and regalia ; using every 
adjunct for strengthening its influence on the soul; 
speaking to ear and eye in every lecture, charge, sign, 
and token, and to the touch in grip and pressure; and 
manifesting itself (silently, like rain, and sunshine, and 
electricity) in beneficent organizations and institutions ; 
this soul of all its teachings and workings is Odd- 
Fellowship, the hidden name in the white stone, which 
he knoweth best who most truly possesses it. 

The Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man, 
then, are the great principles of our Order, embodied in 
the mottoes thereof, " In God we trust," and "Friend- 
ship, Love, and Truth." To illustrate these principles 
on the limited scale prescribed by human abilities and 
our pecuniary resources, we have united in Lodges, 
each of which is a mutual improvement and mutual aid 
association. And further to extend our operations, and 
increase our advantages and usefulness together, we 
have united all these Lodges in a general Order, which 
we desire to render universal as the family of man on 
earth. 

§ 3. Our Objects. 

It is unfortunate for our Order, and for not a few 
of its members, that too much prominence has been 
generally given to its feature of pecuniary benefits in 
seasons of sickness and death, and pecuniary aid in 
circumstances of want and distress. This, though a 
laudable and useful trait in our operations, is hardly a 
tithe of our aims and objects. By this undue promi- 
nence of the pecuniary relief afforded, even our own 



ODD-FELLOWSHIP ITS GOVERNMENT, ETC 89 



members have had their attention and efforts greatly 
withdrawn from the moral and social influences which 
the Order is so eminently calculated to promote. But 
so it is : the sudden, the palpable, the material, more 
readily gains attention than the gradual, the insensible, 
and the moral. All can see the visitation of the sick, 
the relief of the distressed, the bounty bestowed on the 
widow and the orphan whose necessities called for aid; 
but few stop to estimate the suffering prevented in 
thousands of families, by relief given before poverty 
called attention to their situation. 

So men look with interested eye, and a ready appre- 
ciation of utility, on gurgling spring, and rolling river, 
and heaving ocean. But how few consider the gentle 
mist that rises in the morning sun to fall in the evening 
shower on broad prairie and in fertile valley ; and, 
after working fruitfulness there, to percolate in crystal 
drops through every vein of rock and earth, until it 
shall burst forth again in cooling spring and mountain- 
rill, to feed the mighty river and replenish the briny 
deep. 

Men look at our system of weekly benefits, mutual 
relief, watchings at the sick-bed, burial of the dead, 
and support of widow and orphan ; but their thoughts 
seldom stray beyond these to the humanizing influences 
which the performance of these deeds exerts on their 
doers; nor yet to the social and moral tendencies of 
the other means employed by Odd-Fellowship for the 
improvement and elevation of human character. 

When the dark war-horses of the storm scud across 
the sky, shaking the rain-drops from their shaggy manes 
as they snort aloud in thunder, the electric flash is 
noticed, and all its brightness commented on. As it 
descends on lofty mansion or towering oak, shattering 



90 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



them as in wanton sport, its effects are readily seen 
and estimated in the destruction it has caused. Even 
when human skill produces it from the battery, and 
sends it along the imprisoning wire, bearing messages 
across continent and ocean with a speed greater by far 
than that of our earth as it revolves around the sun, 
men still note its wonders, and speculate on its vast 
utility to the world. But few consider the daily, mo- 
mently effects of the same fluid in our own organism, as 
it passes from point to point, feeding the vital fires 
within, giving circulation to the fluids, movement to the 
muscles, and the power of thought to the brain. Few 
think of its constantly wonderful operations when, trans- 
fused through the atmosphere and permeating all mat- 
ter, it imparts vitality to all nature, covering the earth 
with verdure and filling it with fruitage. 

It is not to be wondered at, then, that so many, even 
among Odd-Fellows, have overlooked, or at times for- 
gotten, the most important uses and aims of Odd-Fel- 
lowship to be, the imbuing of the minds of our brethren 
with proper conceptions of their powers and capacities, 
giving them just and practical views of their duties and 
responsibilities, exhibiting their dependence upon God, 
and bringing them to a knowledge and practice of the 
true fraternal relations between man and man. And 
in this, though we begin in the Lodge, and with Odd- 
Fellows and their families, we fix no bounds or limits 
but our abilities and our means : our charity begins at 
home, but ends only with the removal of all suffering 
and distress. 

§ 4. Our Measures and Operations. 

Each Lodge is not only a Beneficial, or Mutual Aid 
Society, but also an Association for mental and mora] 



ODD-FELLOWSHIP — ITS GOVERNMENT, ETC 91 



improvement, whose meetings and operations are de- 
signed to improve and elevate the characters of its 
members. But we are farther reaching in our benefits 
than such associations usually are. All our Lodges are 
united in one common Order, so that, under certain 
simple regulations, the member of any one, when absent 
from home, can receive from any other the fellowship, 
the attention, and the relief he would be entitled to 
from his own Lodge. 

Every person who believes in a supreme intelligent 
Creator and Ruler of the universe ; who is of good cha- 
racter, sound health, the proper age and sex, and able to 
earn a livelihood for himself and family ; who has been 
accepted as a member, and contributes the stated sum 
regularly, is entitled to a certain weekly stipend during 
disability to labor, and this, whether rich or poor, at 
home or abroad. If needing more aid, he is not allowed 
to suffer. If he needs attendance at night, two watchers 
are regularly provided every night, without care on his 
part, or trouble to his family. If travelling, and he 
needs assistance, any Lodge where he may be will 
render the same services for him. If he dies, a stipu- 
lated sum is paid to his family to bury him properly, or 
his brethren attend to that duty for them. If his wife 
dies, a similar, but generally smaller allowance is made 
to pay the expenses of her funeral. If he leaves a 
family, our covenanted vows embrace their care and 
welfare in our special duties. And during life, we 
claim the privilege of observing his deportment in and 
out of the Lodge with a brother's love and watchfulness, 
that we may promote his proper interests, encourage him 
in well-doing, and correct his errors and irregularities ; 
or, failing in this after reasonable time and efforts, that 



92 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



we may save the Lodge from his evils, and his brethren 
from their bad influences. 

But it is with the restraining and reformatory influ- 
ences of Odd-Fellowship as it is with its prevention of 
poverty and physical suffering: 

"What's done we partly may compute, 
But know not what's resisted." 

Many who were inclined to narrowness of soul or 
vicious conduct, have been slowly but surely improved, 
and even entirely reformed, by the gentle influences of 
our Order; and many others, if not reformed, have been 
prevented from becoming worse by their connection with 
us : and yet one member, grossly vicious and expelled, 
has drawn on us more public animadversion than all 
these have brought us in commendation. Yea, often 
have we been condemned as encouraging the unworthy 
by associating with them, when we were laboring hope- 
fully to reform them, and associating with them to pre- 
serve them from worse influences. 

Our meetings are generally business meetings, to 
attend to the foregoing duties. But we lose not sight 
of labors to promote benevolence and charity to all 
mankind, as well as among our fraternity. In the 
transaction of our business we pursue strict parlia- 
mentary rules, that our members may be qualified for 
any public stations to which they may be called by 
their fellow-citizens. And when business has been per- 
formed, we indulge in social intercourse, and even in 
cheerful and innocent hilarity and amusement. But in 
all, strict order and decorum, good-fellowship and pru- 
dence are constantly to be kept in view. 

The government and arrangement of degrees and 
stations of the Order will be further unfolded in their 



ODD-FELLOWSHIP — ITS GOVERNMENT, ETC. 93 



proper place, and we therefore pass them here with 
the remark that we have few salaried officers, and they 
earn all they receive. Aside from the necessary ex- 
penses of sustaining such a wide-spread and efficient 
organization, our funds are sacredly devoted and ap- 
plied to the sole objects for which they are contributed, 
and by the very persons who contribute them. 

§ 5. The Duties of Odd-Fellowship. 

The great duties of our Order, by and through which 
we aim to improve and exalt the character of our mem- 
bers, are few in number : — 1. To visit the sick. 2. To 
relieve the distressed. 3. To bury the dead. 4. To 
educate the orphan. To these we have added, by 
charges and obligations, two others, viz., to aid the 
widow, and to exercise over each other fraternal watch 
care, and moral discipline. 

Simple as these are they cover the whole # ground, 
when viewed through our great principles. And though 
designed for special application to the Order, yet are 
they always stated and enforced in a general sense. 
The funds contributed for the use of members and their 
families only, are generally applied as designed. But 
members are never instructed that they may rest 
satisfied with performing these duties to Odd-Fellows 
alone. On the contrary, general benevolence and 
charity out of the Lodge are inculcated in it. 

§ 6. Privileges of Odd-Fellows. 

Let no one unite with the Order merely to learn its 
secrets, wear its regalia and decorations, or insure him* 
Lself provision in case of sickness and distress. These 



94 tiie odd-fellow's manual. 



are privileges, it is true, to those who have other and 
nobler objects in view; but they cost more of labor, 
and time, and money than they are worth to the merely, 
curious, vain, or selfish man. Such will find it a burden 
to perform an equal share of our duties and labors, and 
he may possibly be insured against sickness as certainly 
and more cheaply, in a mere insurance association. 

But to one whose generous heart delights in well 
doing, and admires our principles, and desires to find 
means for increasing his usefulness to suffering man, 
our Order presents the strongest inducements. We 
open for him a field beyond the limits of his party or 
his church, as well as within it, needing his labors and 
offering joyous recompense for his toils. 

No church in its present state is extensive enough in 
its fellowship to embrace many good men who need the 
ministration of kindred spirits, nor far-reaching enough 
to reach even its own members when distant from it, and 
needing aid and protection. But if an Odd-Fellow, far 
away from kindred and home, falls down by the way- 
side, penniless and faint, he has but to inform the 
nearest Lodge, and hands are reached out to provide, 
and watchers are at his side to uphold his drooping 
frame. Or, if he falls under the cold suspicions of an 
unfriendly world, and is cast unmeritedly into a felon's 
cell, brothers are active around him with counsel, and 
labor to remove the dark web of circumstances that 
becloud his fame or endanger his life, to secure him a 
fair trial, and, if just, a proper acquittal and a safe re- 
turn to society and friends. 

In doing this, and other deeds of like kindness, wo 
interfere with no individual duty ; call for no neglect 
of proper interests ; supersede no social, ecclesiastical, 
or political action. We leave every member free a? 



ODD-FELLOWSHIP — ITS GOVERNMENT. ETC. 95 



before in his obligations, duties, and opinions. But we 
enlarge his acquaintance around him, and associate him 
in labor with thousands with whom he has never before 
acted. We open all around him a field for benevolence, 
in which his feet had never trod, nor his mind and 
hands labored. We increase his means and measures 
for blessing others, and thus happifying himself, by 
placing the resources of our Order at his disposal. We 
extend indefinitely his operations, so that the suffering 
and needy, at the extremities of our vast brotherhood, 
may feel the succor and share the bounty he aids in 
directing. And, by the most beautiful lessons, we in- 
struct him in those great principles which will not only 
inform his own mind and render more susceptible to 
goodness his own heart, but will enable him, if he so 
wills, to become an apt teacher and ready example to 
others, in all those virtues that adorn and bless hu- 
manity. 

"If he so wills." The sands of the arid desert as well 
as the soil of the fruitful field, drink in the sunshine and 
the rain that come from above. Pharisee and Sadducee, 
as well as the loving heart and believing soul, sit under 
the teachings of the same gospel. But how widely 
different the effects of these same influences on each ! 
So in Odd-Fellowship there are those who profit not by 
precept and example ; who remain exclusive amid all its 
liberality ; selfish, in the profusion of its generosity ; 
penurious, surrounded by its charity and benevolence; 
and vicious and hateful, though enveloped in its atmo- 
sphere of purity and loving-kindness. We say, therefore, 
"if he so wills" — for, after all, it depends on himself 
whether he will profit by our teaching and training. 

To all, then, who are willing to learn and to do good, we 
give the invitation to join our ranks. And to remove 



96 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



any lingering scruple of the conscientious, we say., 
should Odd-Fellowship tender you any obligation, or 
require of you any duty, conflicting with the duties you 
owe to God, to humanity, to your country, your family, 
or your friends, we enjoin you to leave it for ever, as 
hollow in its pretensions and unworthy the favor of 
community. 



CHAPTER IV. 

APPLICATION AND ADMISSION. 

Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, 
and it shall be opened unto you. — Matt. vii. 7. 

If you can satisfy your mind and feelings so as to 
accept the invitation with which we closed the preceding 
chapter, and if qualified to become a member, apply to 
some member of the nearest or most convenient Lodge 
for a copy of its Constitution and By-laws. Having 
carefully examined these, with such explanations as 
your Odd-Fellow friends can impart, you will know 
what is required of you, and be able to send in your 
application. 

And here, outside the threshold, Odd-Fellowship com- 
mences its requisitions. Your first step of duty is Con- 
fidence. Confidence in the principles and aims, the 
means and operations of Odd-Fellowship, as an institu- 
tution for the proper development of man's powers and 
affections, and the relief and amelioration of human 
want and suffering, — as an effort to open for man, where- 
ever he may be, a school for moral and social culture — 



APPLICATION AND ADMISSION. 97 



a home for the solace of his woes and miseries : — Confi- 
dence in the men and women generally who compose its 
vast constituency, that though frail and fallible all, and 
recreant to duty some of them may be, yet generally, 
their past deeds and progress prove them to possess 
good motives, right aims, and honest professions : — Con- 
fidence that, as a body, they will faithfully carry out 
their principles into practice in their conduct to you, to 
each other, and to the world ; and Confidence in your 
self, that you can assume the solemn obligations and 
pronounce the solemn vows of Odd-Fellowship truth- 
fully and honestly. 

Such confidence involves a further duty, which you 
are now required to exercise — Frankness, Candor. 
You ask the revelation- of important mysteries — to be- 
come a partner in weighty trusts and valuable rights 
and privileges. Show yourself worthy, by the utmost 
frankness and candor in relation to all matters that 
may justly belong to that partnership. Answer every 
question placed properly before you, promptly and 
truthfully, as you would that those you seek should 
answer yours in due season — as you desire to be trusted 
and honored after your admission. We may say further, 
that evasion or concealment will probably be of no 
avail ; for the information required, has, in all proba- 
bility, been already obtained from other sources. Nor 
need you shrink from scrutiny, if honest and sincere, 
for no indelicate, no improper, no irrelevant or merely 
curious question will be proposed. Excepting in regard 
to your religious faith in God, and your relations to the 
Order, the questions are merely such as a health or life 
insurance company require to be answered in good faith. 
9 G 



98 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



§ 2. The Admission. 

Permit here a suggestion on a delicate subject. Re- 
jection is possible — not by any means probable, how- 
ever — even to a good and proper applicant. The Lodge, 
or some of its members, may desire a further acquaint- 
ance with the temper, character, habits, or health of the 
candidate ; and so may reject him to obtain six months 
more of time. Or even personal prejudices, contrary 
to every principle and law of the Order, may induce 
some members to risk the penalty by rejecting the ap- 
plicant on those grounds alone. It is prudent, there- 
fore, in view of these possibilities, to confide the know- 
ledge of your application to no one out of the Order. 
And should you be rejected, take it meekly and quietly, 
and patiently wait your time when, if you know yourself 
to bo worthy, you may apply again under more favorable 
circumstances. A rejection by no means implies con- 
demnation of your character : it is merely an expression 
of disinclination to admit you, for whatever reason ; and 
the reason may be simply a want of knowledge on the 
part of those who reject. 

But if admitted, having manifested the requisite con- 
fidence and frankness, go on your way, all attentive to 
the solemn lessons in store for you. Fear nothing, be 
appearances what they may. It is contrary to our 
usages (whatever may have been the customs of "olden 
time") to treat an initiate with levity or rudeness, or 
in any manner unbecoming the courtesy with which 
gentlemen should conduct toward each other. 

The solemnities of initiation may be novel, even 
startling by their novelty, but they are perfectly chaste, 
dignified, and serious as the lessons they are designed 



APPLICATION AND ADMISSION. 99 



to teach. They might, with perfect propriety, be ad- 
ministered in the presence of our wives, mothers, sisters, 
and daughters, so far as speech and correct action are 
concerned. Give yourself, then, passively to your guides, 
to lead you whithersoever they will. Answer seriously 
and plainly all questions proposed ; obey promptly all 
directions given you: and thus keep your mind atten- 
tive to the ceremonial, that you may clearly understand 
its import, and receive the instructions imparted in its 
lessons, and lay them to heart in your career as an Odd- 
Fellow. 

Be not afraid of any hopeless entanglement. If dis- 
satisfied, you may, at any time, withdraw honorably, if 
free from debt and not under charges — or, you may 
procure a withdrawal card to join some other Lodge. 
Of course, it is presumed that you will not do so hastily, 
nor with any purpose derogatory to your honor as an 
honest, truthful man. (See Part Second, Chapter 24. 
§ 1, on " Diplomas and Cards. ") 



PAET SECOND. 

3&nttm Mttni tn fyi dDrfar. 



CHAPTER I. 

ON INITIATIONS GENERALLY. 

I will bring the blind by a way they know not ; I will lead them 
in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light be- 
fore them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto 
them, and not forsake them — Is a. xlii. 16. 

Every Odd-Fellow should keep clearly impressed on 
his mind and heart the lessons taught at initiation. 
They are a guide to understand properly all that follows 
after — an epitomized summary of the great principles 
and objects of the Order. They contain the germs which 
after-instruction and his own practice should develop 
and mature into blossoming and fruitfulness. In one 
word, what regeneration by the word of truth is in re- 
ligion, initiation is in Odd-Fellowship. 

In this, as in many other particulars, our Institution 
has instinctively, as it were, copied after nearly all secret 
associations of a religious and moral character. "In 
Egypt, the most ancient among the ancient nations, 
an institution of this kind existed from the earliest 
period. Of the nature of that institution we know very 
little. History informs us that many benefits were sup- 
posed to be derived from a participation in the secrets 
of the society ; that those secrets were revealed only to 

100 



ON INITIATIONS GENERALLY. 101 



the initiated, and that the mode of initiation was well 
calculated to make a serious and abiding impression on 
the mind of the recipient. 

" Besides the Egyptian Mysteries, as they are called 
by historians, we find scattered throughout all Europe, 
and a large portion of Asia, associations founded on 
similar principles, characterized by similar ceremonies, 
and having similar objects in view. Of most of these 
our information is scanty and imperfect ; but enough is 
known to prove the identity of their origin and object. 
These were all sometimes spoken of as the Mysteries of 
the Cabiri, a name which is itself a mystery, and which 
no learning or research has yet been able satisfactorily 
to explain." 

" Among all the mysteries of the ancients, those cele- 
brated at the city of Eleusis, and hence called the 
< Eleusinian Mysteries,'' are best known. These were 
copied from the Egyptian, and bore a general corres- 
pondence to all similar institutions ; and hence an 
account of one is, in the main, an account of all the 
others. Not that all agreed in the particular detail of 
their practices or objects, but in their outline they 
agreed in holding similar principles for similar pur- 
poses. Now, a careful comparison of all the ancient 
rites, as they existed anterior to the Gospel, leads to 
the following conclusion. It was a leading character- 
istic of all the ancient rites, that they began in sorrow 
and gloom, but ended in light and joy ; they ivere all 
calculated to remind men of their weakness, their igno- 
rance, their helplessness, and their sinfulness of cha- 
racter ; of the shortness and uncertainty of life, and of 
the ills which flesh is heir to ; of the punishment of 
guilt, the reward of virtue, and the rising of the just to 
life eternal and immortal. In all, too, the mode of 



102 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



initiation was calculated to make a deep and lasting im- 
pression upon the mind of the candidate. For these pur- 
poses, striking exhibitions of the consequences of sin, 
and the pleasures of virtue, .were presented for con- 
sideration, in sudden and striking contrast, and every- 
thing was designed to impress the candidate with a 
lively sense of what was thus represented." 

"If, now, we follow down the history of these ancient 
mysteries, until the religion of the Cross had been pro- 
claimed throughout the world, we shall find them essen- 
tially changed in their religious character; no longer 
professing to convey religious blessings or spiritual 
privileges, but holding out promises of such advantages 
and benefits as men can afford to their fellow T -men, but 
still inculcating virtue by the highest and strongest sanc- 
tions. We might, would time permit, follow down the his- 
tory of the associations to the present time, and should thus 
find that, from the earliest ages to the present day, there 
have been similar associations founded upon the same 
general principles, with similar rites and ceremonies, and 
with similar objects in view. Yet the rites and ceremo- 
nies have not been the same ; for membership in one would 
not introduce a person into any other. Such an investi- 
gation, also, would show us that these rites and ceremonies 
were originally of a religious character, copied, in the first 
instance, from a divine institution, and that for ages they 
were mighty agents in preserving and perpetuating a 
knowledge of the truth, both as regards God and man." 

The great German poet and philosopher, Goethe, in 
the following Ode, traces an analogy between the ini- 
tiation in a lodge (undoubtedly Masonic, but equally 
applicable to one of our Order) and human existence. Its 
mysterious beauty will speak to every heart ; but the ini- 
tiated will feel it most, as they will understand it best : — 



THE INITIATION. 103 



THE LODGE. 

TRANSLATED BY THOMAS CARLYLE. 

The worker's ways are 

A type of existence, 

And in his persistence 
Is as the days are 
Of men in this world. 

The future hides in it 

Good hap and sorrow; 

We still press thorough — 
Naught that abides in it 
Daunting us — Onward! 

And solemn before us, 

Veiled, the dark portal, 

Goal of all mortal. 
Stars silent o'er us — 
Graves under us silent. 

But heard are the voices — 
The voice of the sages, 
The worlds and the ages. 
Choose well ; your choice is 
Brief, and yet endless. 

Here eyes do regard you 
In eternity's stillness; 
Here all is fulness, 

Ye brave, to reward you; 

Work, and despair not. 



With these introductory remarks on the general aim 
and teachings of all ceremonials of initiation, we are 
prepared, I trust, to understand more clearly the mys- 
teries, lessons, and duties inculcated in our initiatory 
rites, and their application to the degrees which follow 
after. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE INITIATION. 

1. A thoughtful man's first entrance into a lodge. 
unknowing what is to be transacted there, is a serious 
event. There, for a time, lie is to be isolated from 
general society, in a retreat sacred to benevolence and 
peace, away from the world, with its selfish toils and 
cares, its factitious distinctions and social vices, sur- 



104 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



rounded wholly by those who have vowed to devote 
their lives to fraternity in Odd-Fellowship. His object 
is to learn their principles, to assume their vows, to 
unite in their labors. That he may do so properly, 
they require him to pass through rites which shall teach 
him his present condition as a social being, and the 
primary principles of the condition he is about to enter. 

2. Consider, then, the social state of man without a 
knowledge and practice of those relations which bind 
him to his Creator and his fellows. How isolated his 
position; how surrounded by the darkness of ignorance 
on every side; how feeble, helpless, dependent, in a 
world that appears adverse and antagonistic ! If he 
find a guide, he knows not whether to trust or doubt 
him ; and he is yet in such need of one, that he follows 
whithersoever he is led. 

3. Himself bound in ignorance and fear, if not in 
selfishness, he may think that others have more light 
and freedom than himself; or, not fully realizing the 
fact, he may marvel when assured that many, like him. 
are in darkness and chains which they neither see nor 
feel. The offer of mercy, the word of warning, the 
promise of instruction — one or all may lead him to hope 
that the seeming chaos may be reduced to order, and the 
discord be resolved to harmony ; and that an unknown 
wisdom may enlighten his darkness, and solve his doubts 
and perplexities by lessons of peace and joy. 

******** 

4. And yet the first ray of light will but increase the 
apparent gloom ; for it will exhibit more strongly the 
vanity of human pursuits and possessions, the brevity 
of life and the certainty of death, and all life's evils 
fearfully aggravated and increased by the strifes, dis- 
cords, and dissensions which flow from human ignorance 
and folly, and end at last in death itself. 



OF INITIATION. 105 



5. Yet contemplate the scene. From all that 
gloom, light will shine forth to guide aright. It 
will humble human pride. It will awaken com- 
passion for others. It will arouse the soul to a just 
sense of its responsibility to God, and its duty to 
man. It will fill his heart with a salutary horror 
of that monster, Sin, whose power has arrayed man 
against his fellow-man, and washed the earth with 
tears and deluged it in blood. 

6. Through darkness to light — " the evening and 
the morning were the first da}^." Death is every- 
where among the Almighty's works I Behold the 
Queen of Flowers in all its loveliness. Soon the 
rains drench its glory — the winds scatter its scented 
leaves — its beauty is faded — its form is destroyed I 
So man groweth up in grace and strength. He goeth 
forth, his face upturned to the heavens, and he looks 
around over the earth, as the Lord of creation and 
the High Priest of nature. But how soon sickness 
saps his strength — years impair his powers — age bows 
his form — he giveth up the ghost, and is numbered 
with the clods of the valley I Truly is Death in the 
world — the Spoiler among the creations of our God I 

7. True : Death is among the works of our Heav- 
enly Father. 

"Leaves have their time to fall, 

And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath, 
And stars to set — but all — 

Thou hast all seasons for thine own, Death!" Hemans. 

Yet Death is not the end. I have seen the plumy 
tree lift its head to the heavens in verdurous glory. 
Soon its leaves were scattered far and wide — its 
branches were bare and the wintry winds sang re- 
quiems through its desolate limbs. Yet Springtime 
came and clothed it with verdure and blossoming, and 



106 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



the birds of heaven filled it with notes of joy and glad- 
ness, and springing flowers clustered around its stem. 

" Shall man be left forgotten in the dust, 

When fate, relenting, lets the flower survive? 
Shall Nature's voice, to man alone unjust, 

Bid him, though doomed to perish, hope to live? 
Is it for this, fair virtue oft must strive 

With disappointment, penury and pain? 
NO! Heaven's immortal Spring shall yet arrive, 
And man's majestic beauty bloom again, 
Bright through th' eternal year of Love's triumphant reign!" 

Beattie. 

8. Wonder not that he is yet unable steadily to 
behold this light shining in darkness. We advance 
but slowly in learning, and grow gradually in truth 
and virtue. How apply the principles of humanity 
and fraternity as we proceed, to enlighten and free 
himself, that he may disperse the mists and break 
the fetters of others, and thus hasten the coming of 
that ao*e when clashing interests and selfish strifes 
shall give way before a uniou of all for the general 
good, and earth become a blooming Paradise of 
prosperity and peace ? 

9. Let him hear the voice of Antiquity, speaking 
through the lips of the aged and wise ; it will utter 
the lessons of goodness and wisdom acquired by ex- 
perience and observation. Righteousness secures pres- 
ent provision and protection as well as future pros- 
perity and safety. " Godliness {i.e. God-likeness) is 
profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that 
now is, and of that which is to come."* The Psalmist 
therefore truly declared, " I have been young and now 
am old ; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, 
nor his seed beo^ing bread. "+ 

This teacher of past ages also says that Friendship, 
Love, and Truth are not onlyasafeguard,butaremedy 

* 1 Tim. iv. 8. f Psalm xxxvii. 25. 



OF INITIATION. 107 

for all the social and moral evils that afflict our race. 
Remember well this great lesson — forget it not. Ad- 
vance in it, that further instruction may unfold its ap- 
plications to our duties and our wants. 

* * *. # x ■» * x 

10. Good conduct only, not mere professions and 
seemings, can procure the esteem and confidence of the 
good and wise. But let the Odd-Fellow add to good- 
ness, prudence. Let caution guard his lips and his 
ways. We would say to him : " Bestow not your con- 
fidence too hastily. Be just to yourself as well as 
generous to others. Be just especially to those who 
confide in you. Keep their secrets more carefully even 
than your own. Watch over their interests, and pro- 
mote their welfare with the unsleeping vigilance of a 
sentinel in the presence of armed enemies. Not only 
do not wrong a brother, but never allow him to be 
wronged, if in your power to prevent it or warn him. 
Fidelity in duty, honesty, then, is the duty of all in 
our singular fellowship ; the honesty of a warm heart 
and a sound mind ; honesty to those without and those 
within ; honesty to yourself and all around. For we 
are Odd-Fellows only when we act and speak like 
honest men." 

11. This learned, and a new light will break in upon 
the mind, and the heart beat more freely. The outside 
seeming is known not to be the inward reality. The 
world may move in a vain show, each man striving to 
disguise himself from others, often even from himself. 
But in our Lodge-room we expect brethren to lay abide 
the deceitful mask, and look each other lovingly in the 
eyes, knowing and known of each other as they are. 
Let those who unite with us learn that the homely garb, 
the rude appearance, the rough form, often encloses an 
unruffled conscience and a humane heart, while the 



108 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



costly dress, the polished manners, and the courtly 
speech often hide a heart festering with corruption and 
black with selfishness and cruelty. "A man may smile, 
and smile, and be a villain still." Be not deceived, 
then, by the exterior appearance of men and things, 
but wait, and learn, and "judge righteous judgment." 

12. Keep in remembrance the signs and words im- 
parted to you, to enable you to enter these courts, and 
to recognize and be recognized of your brethren. 
Trifling as they may seem to some, they are the key to 
our treasures and our mysteries. And in their use, re- 
member that they are pledges of secrecy to the brother- 
hood from you, and to you from us. Remember also, 
that the Omniscient One observes your every dis- 
charge of duty and use of privilege. Let your hand, 
then, be open as day to greet a brother with frankness, 
or to aid him with cheerfulness and love. Show due 
courtesy to your brethren, and salute respectfully 
those who preside over the Lodge, as the representa- 
tives of the Lodge itself. 

13. The forms through which you have passed are 
not what they seem to many. Under each act and 
emblem there is deep significance. So in life. Apply 
your instructions there, and every thing becomes vocal 
with wisdom. The eyes blinded by the darkness of a 
dungeon, are naught to the blindness of the moral sense 
obscured by indulgence in selfishness and sensuality. 
The fetters on a martyr's limbs, what are they to the 
chains which evil passions and bad habits impose on the 
inner man, and whose iron does indeed enter the soul ? 
May your initiation and consequent practice aid in re- 
leasing you from all blindness of mcral vision, set you 
free from the fetters of ignorance and error, and bring 
you from a death in selfishness into a life of active 
benevolence and virtue. 



OF INITIATION. 109 



14. Odd-Fellowship is a miniature representation, 
among a chosen few, of that fraternity which God has 
instituted among men. Few as are those who would 
represent it, the great principle is wide enough for all. 
On the broad platform of brotherhood, all nations, 
parties, and sects can meet and freely mingle in offices 
of needed kindness and mutual well-doing. Fraternity, 
therefore, is the corner-stone on which our forefathers 
based our Order ; fraternity in the family of mankind, 
illustrated in our family, the Lodge, and the Order. 
As all men have God for their Father, all are brethren ; 
and we would illustrate this great fact in all our offices 
of mutual aid, relief, sympathy, and benevolence. 

15. Recognizing the Fatherhood of God, Odd-Fel- 
lows bring not into a Lodge the classifications of human 
society without. No high, no low, no great, no small, 
no rich, no poor, no nation, party, or sect do we know 
among us. All are one, all fellow men, all brethren. 
As one family we meet together, to counsel and aid in 
measures for the relief of distress, for mutual instruc- 
tion, watch-care, and fellowship, and for the discipline 
and improvement of character. An altar dedicated to 
such offices must be served with clean hands and sur- 
rounded with pure hearts. All discord and strife, all 
alienation of heart must be kept away from our meet- 
ings. And yet while we exclude all party and secta- 
rian distinctions from our Lodges, we require no sacri- 
fice of opinions, no loosening of obligations to Church 
or State, no swerving from principle, no lessening of 
devotion to God. On the contrary, we teach that no 
man can be a good Odd Fellow who neglects any duty 
he owes to his Creator, his family, his country, or his 
fellow-man. 

IB. But guard against a too common error. Ours is 
10 



10 THE ODD-FELLOWS MANUAL. 



not a mere beneficial society, nor designed only to 
aid its members in danger and distress. Great and 
good as are these, they are more our means than our 
ends By associating together for benevolent purposes, 
we hope to improve and elevate the characters of our 
bi ethren, to enlighten their minds, to teach them their 
capabilities for usefulness, to expand their affections, 
that they may not "give up to party what was meant 
for mankind.'' In one word, all our operations are de- 
signed to lead each other to the knowledge and practice 
of the true brotherhood of man. 

17. Believing that every one we thus receive and in- 
struct will be benefited thereby, we gladly greet each ini- 
tiate as a brother beloved, and welcome him with fraternal 
grip to the obligations and privileges of our beloved Order. 

18. Remember that when on the surging waters of 
human life, far from haven and from home, you may 
summon any brother to your aid. But forget not, also, 
that the obligation is mutual. When you are sum- 
moned, you also are bound to fly and save your perish 
ing brother from sinking in despair. 

§ 2. Regalia of an Initiate. 

The regalia of a newly-initiated brother is a white 
apron only. 

Without any ornament of colored friuge, its simplicity 
and purity well denotes the position of its wearer in the 
Order. The primary principles of Odd-Fellowship, 
blended in the one, great, all-including principle of fra- 
ternity , are his ; but only in the germ, waiting the un- 
folding of blossoming and fruitfulness. The elementary 
lesson has been imparted ; but it is not yet made appli- 
cable as a means to acquire the abstruser lessons which 



OF INITIATION. Ill 



follow. He has the materials ; it is his now to apply 
them in detail, until their utility shall create for 
them every desired ornament, every needed grace and 
virtue. 

§ 3. Color of Initiatory Degree* 

The color of this Degree is White. It refers to 
Faith (in the sense of Fidelity) as well as Purity. 
Rev. Bro. C. W. Bradley says of this color (Cove- 
nant, 1842) : 

" White has ever been regarded as emblematic of 
purity and sincerity. Thus in the Apocalypse it is 
said, ' I will give him a white stone, and in the stone 
a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving 
he that receiveth it.' ' He that overcometh, the same 
shall be clothed in white raiment.' (Rev. ii. 17 and 
iii. 5.)" As the white stone and the white raiment 
were to be the reward of " him that overcometh," it 
is evident that persistent fidelity — Fidelity unto victory 
— is signified. " Near the Capitol at Rome stood the 
temple of Fides. When the priests offered their 
bloodless sacrifices to her, their faces and hands 
were shrouded in white cloths, thereby intimating 
that faith, or fidelity, should be close and secret. 
She is called by Virgil (>En. i. 292), 'Cana Fides,' 
probably because candor is'essential to fidelity. One 
of the symbols of this goddess was a group of two 

* The explanations of the colors of the several degrees — mainly 
those given by Rev. Bro. C. W. Bradley (as quoted) in the Covenant 
and Official Magazine, in 1842 — are retained in the Manual, as beau- 
tiful and curious explanations of the primary colors seen in the 
Rainbow, with their significations. 



112 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



young virgins clad in snowy vestments, and joining 
hands ; which act signifies a pledge of faith for 
future friendship. In Physics, white is a result of the 
union and reflection of all the primary rays of light : 
hence it is metaphorically used to signify a collection 
and reflection of those graces and virtues which 
adorn and dignify the character." 



§ 4. Emblems of the Initiatory Degree. 



I. The Three Links. 

Emblem of F. L. $> T. — It represents the all- 
encircling chain of sympathy, that unites us as one 
in our aims, labors, and abundant rewards; and re- 
minds us that we are thus bound for our own and 
each other's welfare. And it teaches us, (as we have 
learned from the lips of Antiquity,) that the best 
safeguard against the ills of life will be found in the 
practice of Friendship, Love, and Truth. — " Forget 
it not!" 



OF INITIATION. 



113 




II. The Skull and Crossed Bones. 

Emblem of Mortality. — It reminds us, not merely 
that "dust we are, and unto dust we must return," 
but also " that we are solemnly bound to commit the 
mortal remains of a departed brother carefully and 
lovingly to the tomb, to cherish a lively recollection 
of his many virtues, and to bury his imperfections 
with his body beneath the clods of the valley." 

It also teaches us the vanity of worldly things — 
the instability of wealth and power, and the certain 
passing away of all earthly greatness. This lesson, 
as melancholy as it is truthful, humbles pride, 
awakens compassion for others, rouses the soul to a 
proper sense of responsibility to God and of duty to 
our fellow-men, and creates a deep abhorrence of 
Sin — that greatest of all evils — that bane of human 
happiness and peace, which has bathed the world in 
tears and deluged it in blood. Thus it inspires us 
10* H 



114 



to labor for the spread of that great law of human 
brotherhood, which shall jet bind all nations, kin- 
dreds, tongues, and peoples, in the bonds of benevo- 
lence and peace. 

III. The Scythe. 





An Emblem of ended Time. — The world, at its 
brightest and best, is of Time — subject to all Time's 
chances and changes — and the mower's scythe re- 
minds us that all the goodliness and fashion thereof 
is but as the s;rass that is cut down and the flower 
that withereth. It also reminds us that as man 
himself, in his mortal state, is but as the grass and 
the flower of the field, like them, he also must be cut 
down by the scythe of Time and wither at the touch 
of the King of Terrors. Yet it brings to mind the 
counterpart of its lessons, that it is only through 
Time that we can reach Eternity — only through 
Mortality we attain to Immortality — only through 
death to sin, that we can enter Eternal Life. 

§ 5. Conduct of a New Member. 
A sense of propriety will, of course, withhold an 
initiate from taking an active part in the proceedings 



OF INITIATION. 115 



of his Lodge on the night of his initiation. The 
By-Laws of many lodges expressly prohibit his 
voting until he has been a member for one week. 
Let him, then, be careful to observe what must ap- 
pear to him the odd ways of transacting business and 
exchanging courtesies in the ]odge-room, that he 
may learn their use and meaning, and acquire facil- 
ity in their performance. After one, or at most a 
few evenings, he will understand well his position, 
and be prepared to discharge its responsibilities. 

Aim to become a working member. There is 
generally enough to do for all who attend the meet- 
ings and are willing to work. Signify, therefore, 
your readiness to serve the Lodge in any capacity 
that may be assigned you, and then wait patiently 
until your services are required. 

If called to serve in any office, or on any com- 
mittee, inform yourself well in regard to the duties 
thereof and the best modes of performing them. 
Apply to the principal officers or oldest members of 
the Lodge for such information, if not found in our 
books or periodicals within your reach. Then devote 
yourself earnestly to the work assigned you. You 
will thus be useful, not only to the Lodge and the 
Order, but to yourself. We always get some good 
when we do good. 

But you will find your knowledge of the Order, 
and your sphere of action in it, quite circumscribed, 
until you advance further in its gradations. As 
soon, therefore, as the proper probation has elapsed, 
apply for the degrees. The qualifications for obtain- 



116 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



ing these vary a little in the different States. In 
general, a member is required to have been an 
initiate three months before he can receive the First 
or Pink Degree — a month more he can receive the 
Second or Blue Degree — and then a month more 
before he can receive the Third Degree. The prices 
of the degrees also vary in the different States. In 
some lodges, also, the benefits during sickness or 
disability are increased as the members advance in 
the degrees. The Constitution and By-Laws of 
your Lodge will give you all needed and correct 
information on these particulars. In some cases, 
the degrees are conferred earlier by dispensation 
obtained through the Deputy Grand Master of the 
District. 

The mode of applying for the degrees usually is, 
to deposit the amount required for the certificate 
with the Secretary of the Lodge, and then procure 
a brother to prefer your request in open Lodge, at 
the proper season. On this request a ballot is had, 
at which none can vote but those who have received 
the Degree applied for, and if favorable (as it is sure 
to be if the applicant is an active, well-behaved 
member, and duly qualified), the certificate is 
granted. 

The officers or older members of the Lodge will 
give you the requisite information for further pro- 
ceedings, which vary according- to the usages of dif- 
ferent State Grand Lodges. But in no case will you 
find any difficulty in comprehending the steps to be 
taken, or in complying with the required forms. 



OF THE FIRST DEGREE. 117 



CHAPTER III. 

OF THE FIRST DEGREE. 

Friendship. 

1. Haying studied the foundation-principles of 
our Order, and exercised yourself in their appli- 
cations as an Odd-Fellow, you are now prepared, we 
trust, to advance a step onward and upward, and to 
extend further your hand in aiding the brotherhood in 
ameliorating human suffering, and elevating human 
character. Let not mere curiosity urge your prog- 
ress. Only the desire to advance in knowing our 
mysteries, that you may better perform the duties 
of fraternity, can and will repay the tax on your 
means, your time, and your efforts. He that enters 
this covenant, " must show himself friendly," and 
will learn that a true " friend sticketh closer than a 
brother;" for friendship is the bond of fraternity. 

2. Be prepared, then, to become a partner in a 
solemn league and covenant of fraternal friendship, 
one of the nearest and best into which man can 
enter with his fellow man, yet in no wise conflicting 
with any duty he owes to others. That such closely 
attaching ties have been constituted between good 
men, and been sanctioned by Holy Writ, permit a 
few quotations from the "Bible. 



118 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



3. SCRIPTURE LESSONS. 
1 Samuel xvii. 57, 58, and xviii. 1-4. — And as David returned 
from the slaughter of the Philistine, [Goliath,] Abner took him, and 
brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his 
hand. And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, young man? 
And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse, the Bethle- 
hemite. And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speak- 
ing unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of 
David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him 
that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. 
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him 
as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that 
"was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his 
sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. 

4. But "jealousy is cruel as the grave," and envy 
is a devouring fire, consuming every noble motive 
and generous feeling. Hence, when Saul heard the 
shouts of the people's joy, as they sung and said, 
" Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten 
thousands," he was very angry, and branded it as 
treason against himself, saying, " They have ascribed 
unto David ten thousands, and to me they have 
ascribed but thousands : and what can he have more 
but the kingdom?" And so his wrath burned, not 
only against the singers and shouters, but against 
David, the meritorious patriot and warrior, innocent 
of any disloyalty to Saul. And thus Saul was led 
to attempt David's life, by casting a javelin at him; 
and to order others to slay him ; and compelled 
David to flee from place to place before his deadly 
envy and jealousy. 

5. After repeated attempts on David's life, all of 
which were averted and prevented by the friendship 
of Jonathan, we read — 



OF THE FIRST DEGREE. 121 



1 Samuel xx. 1-4. — And David fled from Naioth in Raman, and 
came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine 
iniquity ? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my 
life ? And he said unto him, God forbid : thou shalt not die ; be- 
hold, my father will do nothing, great or small, but that he will 
show it me ; and why should my father hide this thing from me ? 
It is not so. And David sware moreover and said, Thy father cer- 
tainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes ; and he saith, 
Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved ; but truly, as the 
Lord livetb, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me 
and death. Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul 
desireth, I will even do it for thee. 

1 Samuel xx. 11-23. — And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and 
let us go out into the field. And they went out, both of them, into 
the field. And Jonathan said unto David, Lord God of Israel, 
when I have sounded my father about to-morrow any time, or the 
third day, and behold, if there be good toward David, and I then 
send not unto thee, and show it thee ; the Lord do so, and much 
more to Jonathan : but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I 
will show it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace ; 
and the Lord be with thee as he has been with my father. And 
thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the kindness of the 
Lord, that I die not; but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness 
from my house, forever; no, not when the Lord hath cut off the 
enemies of David, every one, from the face of the earth. So Jona- 
than made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the 
Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies. And Jona- 
than caused David to swear again, because he loved him ; for he 
loved him as he loved his own soul. Then Jonathan said to David, 
To-morrow is the new moon; and thou shalt be missed, because thy 
seat will be empty. And when thou hast stayed three days, then 
thou shalt go down quickly, and jome to the place where thou didst 
hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by 
the stone Ezel. And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, 
as though I shot at a mark. And behold, I will send a lad saying, 
Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, 
the arrows are on this side of thee, take them: then come thou; 
for there is peace to thee, and no hurt, as the Lord liveth. But if 
I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond 
11 



122 



thee ; go thy way : for the Lord hath sent thee away. And, as 
touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the 
Lord be between thee and me forever. 

6. The plan thus devised was put into execution. 
We have the result in the following : — 

1 Samuel xx. 35-42. — And it came to pass in the morning that 
Jonathan went out into the field, at the time appointed with David, and 
a little lad with him. And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the 
arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond 
him. And when thelad was come to the place of the arrow which Jona- 
than had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay 
not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his 
master. But the lad knew not anything : only Jonathan and David 
knew the matter. And Jonathan gave his artillery unto the lad, 
and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city. And as soon as the 
lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell 
on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times; and they 
kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. 
And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, for as much as we have 
sworn, both of us, in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be 
between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed forever. 
And he arose and departed ; and Jonathan went into the city. 

7. How solemn the Covenant — how widely differ- 
ent the conditions in life of the parties — and how 
peculiar the attendant events ! Imagine yourself 
the imperilled and distressed David, befriended at 
great risk by Jonathan. Yourself a lowly shepherd ; 
your deadly enemy, your friend's father and your 
sovereign ; and your friend, a prince and the heir to 
the throne ! Then conceive the feelings of the two 
friends, as they knelt together in the field before 
the Omnipresent, and covenanted perpetual, heart- 
uniting friendship for themselves and their two 
houses. Note the repetition, again and again, of 



OF THE FIRST DEGREE. 128 



the soul-uniting league between them, and the oft- 
given reason therefor — " For Jonathan loved David 
as he loved his own soul." The ingenious plan for 
informing David of his danger or safety, also merits 
notice and consideration. And you will do well to 
dwell on the tenderness of their parting, and Jona- 
than's earnest and impressive reminder of their 
solemn Covenant. Let every brother of this Degree 
consider these lessons, and be faithful in doing 
them, that he, too, may gladly hail the Covenant of 
Friendship. 

8. The devoted Friendships of Damon and Pythias, 
and of other worthies of ancient and of modern 
times, are worthy of commendation and imitation ; 
but all fall short of that we have selected as our 
example. The heathen friends were of the same 
rank and condition in life ; but the Hebrew friends, 
at the first, were almost opposites. The tyrant who 
menaced Damon and Pythias was a stranger to them 
in blood ; but David's bitter foe was Jonathan's 
father, whom in all else the son loved and obeyed. 
And yet, despite the difference in rank, Jonathan 
loved and honored his friend, and defended and 
aided him against the commands of his king and 
his father. And when the father's wrath could be 
restrained no longer, the son entered into the most 
sacred and intimate covenant with David, to aid 
each other even unto death — for " Jonathan loved 
David as his own soul." And David reciprocated 
all this tender love and devotion. When Jonathan 
fell on the battle-field, David not only poured out 
to his memory one of the sweetest elegiac strains 



124 



ever given from the living to the dead,* but adopted 
the maimed son of his friend, giving him a home 
in his own house, and bestowing on him the large 
personal estate of Saul. 

9. Such is the Covenant of Friendship we would 
establish in this Degree — such the obligations we 
would mutually cherish ; to consider each other as 
friends, as brethren in soul, whom we would aid 
and support in affliction and persecution ; whom we 
would rescue from impending peril caused by mere 
imprudence, the evil designs of enemies, or mere 
accident ; whose advantage and interest we would 
point out to him, when so doing does not conflict 

* It is worthy a place in this connection : — 

" The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places ; how are the 
mighty fallen ! Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of 
Askelon ; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the 
daughters of the uncircumcised triumph! Ye mountains of Gilboa, 
let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you, nor fields 
of offerings ; for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, 
the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil. 

" From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow 
of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not 
empty. 

"Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and 
in their death they were not divided : they were swifter than eagles : 
they were stronger than lions. 

" Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul who clothed you in 
scarlet, with other delights; who put ornaments of gold upon your 
apparel. 

" How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle ! Jona- 
than, thou wast slain in thy high places ! I am distressed for thee, 
my brother Jonathan. Very pleasant hast thou been unto me. Thy 
love was wonderful : passing the love of women ! How are the 
mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!" — 2 Samuel i. 
19-27. 



OF THE FIRST DEGREE. 125 



with our duty or the rights of others. And in such 
covenanted love, we would also aid his family, vindi- 
cate his reputation, and save his property, person, 
or life, when in our power, and consistent with our 
other obligations to God and man. 

********* 
10. If your feelings accompanied your imagi- 
nation when you tried to conceive David's con- 
dition, you have a clear picture in your mind of 
that grand historic event which has made David 
and Jonathan the representatives of the most de- 
voted friendship, and the admiration of all who 
love virtue and fidelity to covenants. But the lesson 
also includes their opposite, as represented by Saul 
— his envy — his selfishness, from which grew all his 
faults — his malice, which sprang from his envy. If 
the unselfish, self-sacrificing devotion of the son, is 
to be admired and imitated ; no less should the self- 
ishness, envy, and hate of the father, be abhorred 
and shunned. Envy is a base, mean, degrading 
feeling. It narrows the mind and heart, and drags 
down every lofty sentiment and generous aspira- 
tion. It is the worst form of a grasping selfishness 
— clutching after what is not its own, and what it 
can never enjoy. Nor is this the worst. Selfish- 
ness and envy are the enemies of others, as well as 
of the envier and the envied. These vices especially 
menace the welfare, the happiness, the very unity 
of society. If friendship is the " solder and cement " 
which bind men together, selfishness, envy, malice, 
are the corrosives, the disintegrators of social order. 
They alienate, divide, sever, and drive men asunder, 
11* 



126 the odd-fellow's manual. 



and array them in hostility to each other. On the 
other hand, all tender emotions, and self-sacrificing 
efforts, and generous deeds, draw men together, and 
bind them in unity of interests, and engage them 
in advancing each other's welfare, and promoting 
the general prosperity and peace. 

Here, then, we are brought to see the excelling 
beauty of our covenant. All goodness tends to 
unite and build up families, societies, churches, 
states, nations, mankind. Hence by our solemn 
league and covenant of Friendship, we are drawn 
closer together, come into contact of personal ac- 
quaintance, and grow into more fraternal unity of 
thought, feeling, and working. Hence our cove- 
nant of Friendship has the sanction of human virtue 
and welfare, of reason and conscience, the best ex- 
amples of all ages, and the precedent of God's own 
Covenant with the world, taught in the seed-time 
and the harvest, painted in rainbow colors on the sky, 
and binding earth and heaven with its bands of 
beauty, grace, and glory ! 

§ 2. Regalia of the First Degree. 

The proper regalia of this Degree is a white collar, 
which must be trimmed with pink fringe or ribbon 
to designate the Degree. The collar may be orna- 
mented with a pink and white rosette, which is to be 
worn at its point or joining in front. 

§ 3. Color of the First Degree. 
The color of this Degree is Pink. Rev. Bro, 0, 



OF THE FIRST DEGREE. 



127 



W*. Bradley, quoted from under the preceding De- 
gree, beautifully remarks : — 

" Pink was the hue by which the ancients repre- 
sented youth and modesty. It denotes, in poetry, 
the spring-time of life, when faith is the most con- 
fiding, the affections most vigorous, and friendship 
is most constant. Nature herself seems to have 
dictated the choice of this ray as figurative of those 
very qualities with which the imagination has 
coupled it. In the prismatic spectrum, the red ray 
(of which pink is but a modification) is the most 
calorific and least refrangible of all : the moral 
parallel is, our covenant love should be ardent, and 
never turn from its purpose." 

§ 4. Emblems of the First Degree. 
The emblems assigned to the Degree of Friend- 
ship are: 

I. The Bow and Arrows. 




The}' remind us of the ancient mode of warfare, 
and of our duty to " war against vice in all its 



128 the odd-fellow's manual. 



forms. Friendship towards man prompts the contest 
— the gentle influences of Love supply the weapons 
— Truth consecrates the effort and leads to victory." 
They also refer us to " the plan adopted by Jona- 
than to apprise David (whom he loved with a fond- 
ness exceeding woman's) of the good or ill intended 
by Saul; and teach us that every laudable effort 
should be put forth to save a brother from the hand 
of an enemy." They are not to be used wantonly, or 
to destroy aught but evil and wrong — only for bene- 
fit and salvation to innocence and suffering. 

II. The Quiver. 



It also reminds us of the ancient mode of war- 
fare, and of the manifestation of devoted friendship 
of Jonathan in favor of David. The true Odd- 
Fellow will always have three arrows in his quiver, 
ready to warn a brother of danger, or to promote 
his welfare. 

III. The Bundle of Eods. 

Emblem of Strength in Union. — The peculiar emblem 
of the Covenant Degree. 



OF THE FIRST DEGREE. 129 



This memento of a dying father, to teach his 
children the value of union, speaks no less impres- 
sively to our larger brotherhood. It reminds us of 
the power of each member to sustain, and be sus- 
tained by, the others, when all are bound into one 
bundle by the bands of F., L. & T. — making the in- 
terests and labors of all the common property of 
each. In Odd-Fellowship union is strength, indeed. 
One rod, separated from the rest, can easily be broken 





— one brother, isolated by selfishness, may be dis- 
heartened and destroyed ; but in the firmly bound 
bundle, each brother can easily resist evil and ac- 
complish good. Each strengthens the others against 
unhallowed opposition ; and all stand firm and un- 
moved in the mighty power of our Fellowship. 

IY. The Stone Ezel. 

Jonathan and David at the Stone Ezel, though 
not an emblem of the Order, is so suggestive of the 
devotion our Degree of Friendship celebrates, and 



130 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



holds up for our imitation, that we place it here, to 
suggest plans and means for fulfilling our duties. 
The Scripture lesson sufficiently explains the event 
which makes it memorable. 



CHAPTEK IV. 

OF THE SECOND DEGREE. 

Brotherly Love. 

1. The numerous affections which bind us to 
family, friends, communities or societies — to party, 
nation, and to church — are all good when rightly 
exercised. But when any one of them is permitted to 
restrict our sympathies, and crowd out the others, 
it degenerates into a species of selfishness and mis- 
anthropy. For human affection should constantly 
seek higher, greater, holier fields in which to rise 
and expand, until it embraces mankind, and the 
great Creator, Benefactor, Friend, and Father of 
all. The love of mankind, as the children of our 
common Parent, is second only to the love of God, 
which is supreme. " If a man say, I love God, and 
hateth his brother, he is a liar ; for he who loveth 
not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he 
love God whom he hath not seen ?" (1 John iv. 20.)* 

* The following well-known beautiful poem, by Leigh Hunt, will 
bear repetition; especially as it so aptly applies in illustration of 
the text quoted, to show that the love of the visible must fill the 
heart before the love of the Invisible can occupy the soul — that he 
who truly loves his fellow man will also love God, the Father of 
humanity. 




*- - »a = = * P' ECURJI 



OF THE SECOND DEGREE. 133 



2. Brotherly Love, then — the love of mankind 
as brethren, whatever their creed or nation — is 
inculcated in the Second Commandment — is the 
"Charity" enjoined by Paul in 1 Corinthians, chap- 
ter 13, as superior to Faith and Hope — as more ex- 
cellent than all knowledge and spiritual gifts, with- 
out which, zeal unto martyrdom, or alms-giving till 
utter self-destitution, all are as nothing. Would 
you advance in the mysteries of our Order, and ex- 
pand your covenanted Friendship into this exalted, 
sublime, all-including Brotherly Love — the divine 
love of Humanity ? Advance from the beautiful 
lessons of Ancient Sacred Writ to the higher and 
greater contained in the later Holy Volume. Sub- 

ABOU BEN ADHEM. 

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase !) 
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace, 
And saw within the moonlight in his room, 
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom, 
An Angel writing in a book of gold 
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, 
And to the presence in the room he said, 
"What writest thou?" The vision raised its head, 
And with a look made of all sweet accord, 
Answer'd, "The names of those who love the Lord." 
" And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so," 
Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low, 
But cheerily still, and said, "I pray thee, then, 
Write me as one that loves his fellow-men." 
The Angel wrote and vanish'd. 

The next night 
It came again with a great wakening light, 
And show'd the names whom love of God had blest, 
And lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest. 
12 



134 



mit yourself to the ordeals prescribed by our Order, 
that the mysteries of the Degree of Brotherly Love 
may be more deeply imprinted on your heart, and 
live forever in your memory. 

Hear the lesson from the Ancient Law, as taught 
in Parable by the Great Teacher, and applied by 
him to human duty. 

3. SCRIPTURE LESSON. 

Ltjkb x. 25-38. — A certain lawyer tempted Jesus, saying, Mas- 
ter, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him. 
What is written in the Law? How readest thou? And he answer- 
ing said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and 
with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind ; 
and thy neighbor as thyself. And he [Jesus] said unto him, Thou 
hast answered right: this do and thou shalt live. 

But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is 
my neighbor? And Jesus answering, said, A certain man of Jeru- 
salem went down to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped 
him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him 
half dead. And by chance there came down a certain Priest that 
way ; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And 
likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on 
him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as 
he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had 
compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, 
pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought 
him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow, when he 
departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said 
unto him, Take care of him: and whatsoever thou spendest more, 
when I come again I will repay thee. 

Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him 
that fell among thieves ? And he said, He that shewed mercy on 
him. Then Jesus said unto him, G-o, and do thou likewise. 

4. We can best learn a lesson by making a self- 



OF THE SECOND DEGREE. 135 



application of its circumstances and events — by 
placing ourselves, in imagination, in the scenes, and 
becoming, as it were, the actors or sufferers in the 



occurrences 



The road from Jerusalem to Jericho runs " through 
a series of rocky defiles, and the surrounding scenery 
is of the most gloomy and forbidding aspect. The 
whole of this road is held to be the most dangerous 
in Palestine," and is peculiarly suited for such deeds 
as Jesus described. Suppose yourself, then, to be 
thus plundered, stripped, wounded, and left in that 
savage mountain pass to perish. How anxiously 
would you listen for some footfall ; and, on hearing 
one, how eagerly cry for pity and for help. A 
countryman, and one of your own church — even a 
minister of your own faith — appears, hears your 
cry, looks at you as you lie there, bleeding and in 
pain ; but passes on at the other side of the road ! 
As you recover from this studied neglect, and again 
gather strength to call for help, another countryman, 
a servant of your own church, comes along. He 
hears you — looks upon your mangled and almost 
naked and dying form, and then coolly passes on 1 
Can you imagine such treatment in such distress? 
Faint — sick at heart — worse wounded in soul than 
in body, you see an enemy of your nation and of 
your church — one of a country and a creed with 
whom you never would hold social intercourse ("for 
the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" — 
John iv. 9). He hears your piteous cries and groans, 
and his compassionate looks rebuke your bigotry 
and abhorrence. He ministers to your wants — 



136 



places you on his own beast, and walks by its side, 
holding you on it. Risking robbers and murderers, 
be takes you carefully along to an inn. There he 
attends you — waits on you as a nurse and servant — 
and " on the morrow," pays the charges, provides 
for your keeping for several days (for the two-pence 
was two days' wages of a laborer in those days) — 
and becomes responsible for whatever more may be 
incurred. Can you imagine this train of kindly 
deeds — can you conceive your feelings toward this 
political and religious foe (as you always considered 
him) under all this humane treatment ? If you can 
imagine and conceive all this, you understand the 
great lesson, and are prepared to enter the Degree 
of Brotherly Love, and to assume the obligations 
enjoined by the divine lesson of humanity. 

******** 
5. The answer of the carping Teacher of the 
Mosaic Law, in reply to the question of Jesus — 
" Which of these three was neighbor to him that 
fell among the thieves ?" was forced from conviction 
— " He that shewed mercy on him." And the same 
conclusive injunction comes to us as it did to the 
Teacher of the Law — " Go, and do thou likewise 1 " 
Having given imagination full sway while consider- 
ing the parable, your heart as well as your intellect 
is enlightened to know that the true Priest of the 
Most High is not one who merely ministers in the 
temple — nor is he the real Servant of God who only 
handles the elements at the altar ; — but the Priest 
and Servant of our Father in heaven is the " neigh- 
bor," the friend and brother of man. He delivers 



OF THE SECOND DEGREE. 187 



the needy when they cry, and the fatherless, and 
those who have no helper. May the light that has 
thus shined into your mind and your heart ever 
direct you into a Lodge of Brotherly Love. 

6. There is another example of brotherly love on 
a larger plane and longer period of action, to which 
we would also direct your attention — the devotion 
of a life, at the sacrifice of the highest honors of 
the world, to a people not yet a nation — to a people 
yet without a country — to a people despised and 
outcast, bondmen and bondwomen under a strong 
empire and in a strange land. For such was the 
brotherly love, at such sacrifices, and to such a 
forlorn and oppressed people, of Moses, the great 
founder of the Hebrew nation and church. 

The eventful life of this extraordinary man, fur- 
nishes many of the symbols and emblems of our 
Order, the use of which impresses on the mind the 
virtues he illustrated, and incites us to copy his 
laudable example. His moral law has become the 
basis of law and morals for the civilized world, and 
is the regulator of our conduct. His strict reverence 
of the Great Supreme we deem peculiarly worthy 
of our imitation. And his command in regard to 
his distressed brethren, should be adopted by us in 
reference to ours, and be religiously observed by 
every brother of this Degree : — " And if thy brother 
be waxen poor, and fallen in decay Avith thee, then 
thou shalt relieve him ; yea, though he be a stranger 
or a sojourner, that he may live with thee."* When 

* Leviticus xxv. 35. 
12* 



138 



you behold his want, or hear his cry of distress, let 
his appeal to Heaven find in you God's agent to 
minister rescue or relief. 

7. But consider the example of Moses. The more 
the Jews were oppressed and despised, the stronger 
grew his love; and the higher himself was exalted 
to wealth and honor, the more willingly did he sacri- 
fice his emoluments and prospects, to serve his people, 
to share their afflictions, and to deliver them from 
bondage. Delicately reared in a luxurious court, 
educated in all the learning of the Egyptian mon- 
archy and priesthood, adopted as a member of the 
royal family, and favored with the highest honors 
and brightest prospects, still his heart was with his 
humble kindred, and yearned toward his degraded 
and oppressed countrymen. And he voluntarily 
gave up all the worldly advantages of his station, 
and devoted life and reputation to share the afflic- 
tions, and break the bonds, and exalt into a great 
nation, the Hebrew people, " choosing rather to 
suffer affliction with the people of God, than to 
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming 
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treas- 
ures of Egypt."* So steadfast, so devoted, was the 
sentiment of fraternity that united him with his 

race 1 

******** 

8. In the Covenant of Friendship you assumed 
obligations which changed your relations to thou- 
sands of persons in the world at large — a few known 



* Hebrews xi. 25. 



OF THE SECOND DEGREE. 139 



to you, but many more unknown. You were taught 
a lesson of devotion to one cheered by the multi- 
tude, but an object of the withering envy and the 
deadly hatred of a sovereign. The loving and con- 
fiding son of that ruler sustained the persecuted 
friend until the two hearts flowed together into a 
solemn league and covenant, in life and unto death. 

9. In the Degree of Brotherly Love you have 
been taught to consider mankind your brotherhood, 
and to be truly a neighbor to any and to all who 
need your aid, or (if you cannot aid) your sympa- 
thy. The central link of the great chain which 
binds us in our Odd-Fellowship, is " mutual aid." 
For Fraternity is but an empty sound, until it is 
embodied in acts of humanity. " If a brother or 
sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and 
one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye 
warmed and filled ; notwithstanding ye give them 
not those things which are needful to the body, 
what doth it profit?" (James ii. 15, 16.) Put cold- 
ness and selfishness far from your heart. He is an 
enemy to himself and to mankind who cares not for 
the welfare of others. 

10. All friendship should lead to brotherly love, 
and teach wealth to help poverty, power to strengthen 
weakness, youth to reverence age, and the old in ex- 
perience to direct the young, those in health to 
wait upon the sick, and the wise to have "com- 
passion on the ignorant, and those that are out of 
the way," and all who have ability and means, in 
their several stations to imitate the beneficence of 
our heavenly Father. Learn, then, from the example 



140 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



of Moses, and especially from the parable of the 
Good Samaritan, that he, only, is an Odd-Fellow 
who pities the suffering, helps the needy, and re- 
lieves and aids (when he can) his brethren of hu- 
mankind, of whatever creed, clime, or nation. Mem- 
bership in our Lodges is nought — repeating our 
obligations is nought — professing our principles is 
nought, and less than nought, unless they are carried 
out in deeds of Brotherly Love, the great bond of 
our Unity. 

§ 2. Regalia of the Second Degree. 
The proper regalia of the Second Degree, or 
Degree of Brotherly Love, is a lohite collar trimmed 
with light blue ribbon or fringe, to designate the 
degree. The collar may also be ornamented with a 
rosette of white, pink, and blue, at its point. 

§ 3. Color of the Second Degree. 
The color worn in this Degree is Blue — " Royal 
blue," the ancient name of the Degree itself. The 
immeasurable vault of heaven, and the unlimited 
" deep, deep sea," are suggested by it, and both are 
fit emblems of the unbounded range of sympathy 
which this Degree calls us to exercise, as well as of 
the unfading Brotherly Love it inculcates. May 
every brother of this Degree, who sees or hears the 
P. S. (sometimes called the S. of D.), prove " tried 
and true" as the "true blue" color itself I And 
may his Brotherly Love expand on every side, 
beyond family, kindred, friends, party, and even 
nationality and church, to the utmost verge of the 



OF THE SECOND DEGREE. 



141 



blue dome ever encompassing us in its centre, and 
far beyond the circling blue ocean bounding the isle 
or continent in which we dwell. ]3ro. Bradley says 
— " Beautifully apposite with its ideal use is the 
chemical effect of the blue ray ; when it is made to 
fall for some time on the needle, the rod acquires 
polarity, and points 'true' to its mysterious attrac- 
tion in the chambers of the north." 

§ 4. Emblems of the Second Degree. 
The symbols or emblems assigned to the Degree 
of Brotherlv Love are 

I. The Axe. 




Emblem of Progress. — It reminds us that as the 
trees of the wilderness must fall before the axe, ere 
the sunlight can disperse its gloom and the land be- 
come a fruitful field, so must divine Truth be applied 
to every cumbering tree and poisonous vine within 
us, before we can realize the genial glow and fully 
profit by the influences of fraternity in our Lodge, 
our Order, and in the family of man. It thus 



142 the odd-fellow's manual. 



teaches us to clear away every blinding prejudice 
and passion — " every tree that bringeth not forth 
good fruit" — and cast them into the consuming and 
purifying fires. 

[In some lodges, dues, and special donations 
for the needy and distressed, are collected by the 
Warden, on an axe, which has painted, on the 
upper side, the expressive Heart in Hand.] 




II. Heart and Hand. 
It reminds us that there should be no improper con- 
cealment of feelings and purposes among brethren — 
that our greetings should be of the heart as well as 
of the hand — " that what the one in love dictates, 
the other in alacrity should perform." And it 
teaches us that when distress and suffering call, the 
Land should be " open as day to melting charity," 
and the heart warm as mother-love to sympathy and 
relief, remembering that " the Lord loveth the 
cheerful giver." And it also teaches us, not only 
sincerity in affection, and frankness and candor in 
expression, but that " with pure hearts and clean 



OF THE SECOND DEGREE. 143 



hands" must we come to perform the mission of an 
Order dedicated to trust in G-od, and to 

" Friendship, Love, and Truth." 




III. The Globe. 
It represents the earthly home of man — the great 
field of our life-long efforts and labors — the nursery 
of immortality. It reminds us that there is yet 
much to learn and to teach in this great field o^ver 
which our brethren are so widely scattered. 

IV. The Ark op the Covenant. 
The Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Holy 
of Holies ; that is, within the second vail of the Tab- 
ernacle, and in the innermost part of the Temple. 
It contained the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod 
that budded, and the tables of the Law. On it was 
the Mercy-Seat, overshadowed by the wings of the 
Cherubim, between which the Shekinah (Cloud of 
Glory), denoting the Presence of the Holy One, 
appeared to the High Priest. All these were made 



144 the odd-fellow's manual. 



after the Pattern which God shewed unto Moses 
in the Mount. (Exodus xxv. 40.) That Ark with 
its contents, and the Cherubim with the Shekinah. 
links together the remembrance of all sacred things 




with the Presence of God, and the hope of heaven. 
It is, therefore, a most solemn emblem, suggestive 
of all things most sacred — of the Holy of Holies, 
that type of heaven itself, and of the very presence 
of " the Lord — the Lord God, merciful and gracious, 
long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, 
keeping mercy for thousands, and forgiving iniquity, 
transgression, and sin, and that will by no means 
clear the guilty." 

And it teaches us, that "as the prosperity of 
ancient Israel depended on the respect, devotion, 
and obedience paid by them to the Ark of the Cove- 
nant and its sacred deposits, so will our parity, 
peace, and prosperity " be commensurate with our 
obedience to, and communion with, the Most High 
and Holy One, our ever-present Heavenly Father. 



OF THE SECOND DEGREE. 



145 



V. The Serpent. 




Emblem of Wisdom: — It represents "the brazen 
serpent erected by Moses, according to God's direc- 
tion, to heal the Israelites when bitten by the fiery 
serpents sent among them to chastise them for their 
sins." In the infancy of nations, wisdom included 
every degree of knowledge, and especially its appli- 
cations for healing, which, again, was synonymous 
with salvation. The ISTew Testament makes the 
raising up of the brazen serpent a prefiguration of 
the crucifixion of Christ for the moral healing of 
mankind. 

We are taught by this emblem the wisdom of 
prudence in carefully and rigidly proving all who 
claim to be brethren, as specially instructed to do 
in this Degree — thus guarding ourselves and our 
Order against imposition. 

The serpent with tail in mouth, forming a circle, 
was an emblem of eternity among the Egyptians. 
13 K 



146 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



§ 5. Concluding Remarks. 

The two degrees received have put you in pos- 
session of peculiar means for conferring benefits 
on and receiving them from your brethren in the 
Order, even when they are utter strangers to you, 
and you to them. But forget not that every privi- 
lege has attached to it a corresponding obligation 
resting on you to make it a privilege to your brother 
also, when he requires it. If he is bound to give 
you timely warning of danger, to caution you 
against your own imprudence or the evil designs of 
others, or to risk his property, life, or reputation in 
a lawful effort to rescue yours ; you are no less 
bound to him, to render like offices in the day of 
trial, need, and peril. That demand may never be 
made ; but when made, may it not find you faithless 
to obligation and recreant to duty ! 

The less trying but equally important and more 
frequently needed duties of administering to the 
sick and needy, have thus far been faithfully fulfilled 
by our brotherhood generally; indeed, so far as my 
information extends, I might sa} 7 , universally. The 
dreaded cholera, small-pox, ship-fever, and other 
malignant diseases, whose terrors have turned hearts 
to stone, and paralyzed even the domestic affections, 
have been met with calm resolve by numerous Odd- 
Fellows in various sections; and stranger-brethren, 
deserted by conductors of public conveyances, have 
been housed, and tended with care, rescued from in- 
humanity and disease, and restored to their families 
and friends, when, had it not been for our noble 



OF THE SECOND DEGREE. 147 



institution, they must have miserably perished by 
the wayside, and been hurried to unnoted graves ! 

Nor have the still more frequent duties — fit prep- 
arations for these rarer events — attention and aid to 
the brethren of our own vicinities, been less faith- 
fully and devotedly performed. Thus may it ever 
be — and more faithfully, more abundantly, as the 
Order grows in numbers, and increases in means, 
and extends abroad in the world ! 

"No altars smoke, no offerings bleed, 
No guiltless lives expire ; 
To help a brother in his need 
Is all our rites require. 

" Our offering is a willing mind 
To comfort the distress'd ; 
In others' good our own to find — 
In others' blessings blest. 

"Go to the pillow of disease, 
Where night gives no repose, 
And on the cheek where sickness preys 
Bid health to plant a rose. 

" Go where the friendless stranger lies 
To perish in his doom ; 
Snatch from the grave his closing eyes, 
And bring his blessing home. 

" Thus what our heavenly Father gave, 
Shall we as freely give ; 
Thus copy him who lived to save. 

And died that we might live." Hampson. 



148 the odd-fellow's manual. 



CHAPTER V. 

OP THE THIRD DEGREE. 

§1. Truth. 

1. The true Odd-Fellow who has entered into the 
Covenant of Friendship, and then been taught the 
divine lesson of Humanity, will not rest satisfied 
until he has pressed forward toward the perfection 
of our system of mysteries and obligations. The 
reason is evident. An Odd-Fellow in heart and 
soul desires to know the Truth — not only because 
wisdom and knowledge are profitable and pleasant, 
but because Truth is an imperial virtue, shedding 
liffht on all other graces and virtues. ]S"or this 
only, but because Truth alone can fully and clearly 
teach him how he can best perform his duties to 
God and to his fellow-man. 

2. Truth follows closely after Love. If faithful 
to the duties required by Friendship and Brotherly 
Love, Truth will appear in all your sayings and 
doings. Hence Love in the heart, and truth in the 
understanding, are closely related. Both issue in 
the words of the mouth and the actions of the life. 
Love is the fountain of moral feeling — its impulse 
and motive power — as Truth is its manifestation in 
speech and deed. Love prompts to action — Truth 
directs it aright. Truth is therefore the crowning 



OF THE THIRD DEGREE. 149 



virtue. It is the great good sought by candor ; the 
great object of all our researches. Every appeal for 
righteousness and virtue rests on it ; for it is opposed 
to all iniquity and wrong, all error and ignorance. 
To dwellers in time it may seem tedious in its prog- 
ress, and hopelessly to struggle for conquest ; but 
eternity will prove it omnipotent, and show it to be 
the victor at last. So sings the poet : 

" Truth, crush'd to earth, shall rise again, 
Th' eternal years of God are hers ; 
But error, wounded, writhes in pain, 
And dies amid her worshippers." 

3. This is why the man of truth is the best man, 
the strongest man, the only real and reliable man. 
Others may seem, but soon or late the seeming will 
disappear ; while Truth remains in the true man, 
a continual power, springing up unto life eternal. 
Like a placid lake in sunshine, his soul reflects the 
light of heaven as clear and bright as it was shed 
down ; while his influence gives life and beauty to 
all around. Blessing and purifying others, he is 
blessed and purified in return. Whatever muta- 
tions occur around him, he remains unchanged. 
Whatever storms and convulsions rage, he stands 
firm and sure — a landmark amid the factions, pas- 
sions, and errors that sweep by him. 

4. As the imperial virtue, Truth appropriates to 
this Degree all colors and emblems, and all tokens 
and symbols that represent and remind us of virtues, 
duties, and obligations ; and as the cardinal virtue, 
it claims for itself the scarlet badge of sovereignty, 

13* 



150 



and sways the sceptre of dominion over all. He, 
therefore, who has this virtue enthroned in his soul, 
is priest and monarch of himself and all around 
him ; for its power gives him ministry and dominion. 
This is why the brother of this. Degree finds all 
stations of the Lodge open to him, and is enabled 
to speak as by authority concerning the laws of our 
Order. This is why we expect his life to be an ex- 
ample, and his word a precept. This is why we ex- 
pect him to understand and preserve inviolate our 
mysteries, and to observe that his brethren do the 
same. If faithful in these duties, he will show the 
world that only virtue ennobles men among us, and 
that our honors have been judiciously conferred in 
his case. 

5. One more lesson concludes the probation in the 
Lodge. Having served the appointed time with 
patience, diligence, and fidelity, and shown a willing- 
ness to fulfil the obligations you have taken, it is 
proper that as a true Odd-Fellow you should receive 
your final instructions in the mysteries pertaining 
to your rank, from those who attend the Expounder 
of Truth, who represents the High-Priest to whom 
this Degree is specially dedicated. After full in- 
structions you will also be an Expounder of Truth 
and a representative of the ancient High-Priest. 

Receive, then, the instructions of those whom our 
High-Priest shall call upon further to enlighten 
your understanding, and then receive the greetings 
accorded you as a member of the Degree of Brotherly 
Love, crowned with Imperial Truth. 



OF THE THIRD DEGREE. 151 



§ 2. Regalia of the Third Degree, 
The resralia of this Decree is a white collar, trimmed 
with scarlet ribbon or fringe, to designate the Degree, 
which is called the Scarlet Degree. And, as in pre- 
ceding degrees, the collar may be ornamented with 
a rosette of the proper colors, worn at the point of 
the same. 

§ 3. Color of the Degree. 

The selection of scarlet as the color of this Degree 
is specially appropriate. As Rev. Bro. Bradley 
stated in the " Official Magazine of the GL L. U. $.," 
in 1842, " Scarlet vestments as allusive to the glory, 
dignity, and excellence of the sacerdotal office, are 
given to the Third or Degree of the Priestly Order. 
God said to Moses, ' Thou shalt make holy garments 
for Aaron, thy brother, for glory and for beauty.' 
(Exod. xxviii. 2.) * In the several specifications 
which follow the Divine charge, we find the scarlet 
was ordained to be a constituent part of that robe, 
the ephod, the curious girdle of the ephod, and of 
the breast-plate of judgment. (Exod. xxviii. passim.) 
It also entered into the composition of the ten cur- 
tains of the tabernacle, of the vail of the most holy 
place, (Exod. xxvi. 1, 31,) and of the hangings of 
the gate of the court. (Exod. xxvii. 16.) Thus it 
became pre-eminently a sacred dye. In its typical 
character, perhaps it had reference to the blood of 
the victims* which were sacrificed by the High- 

* -'The life of the flesh is the blood thereof;" (Gen. ix. 4; Lev. 
xvii 11 ; and Deut. xii. 23.) So Truth, the life-giving element of 
the soul, is emblematically pointed out as the pure and proper offer- 
ing on the altar of Divine Truth. — A. B. G. 



J 52 the odd-fellow's manual. 



Priest's hands, as an atonement for sin. The prophet 
Isaiah seems to favor this hypothesis : 4 Though 
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as 
snow.' (i. 18.) As a token of glory, rank, and 
power, it was worn by monarchs not less exten- 
sively than the imperial purple. (Compare Matt, 
xxvii. 28, 29, where the scarlet robe was put on 
Christ, in mockery of the regal claim.)" 

§ 4. Emblems of Third Degree. 
The emblems assigned to this Degree, are 




I. The Scales and Sword. 

Emblem of Justice. — It represents the defending 
and enforcing power of Righteousness — and reminds 
us that God requires us to decide justly after weigh- 
ing equitably ; and to defend the right even (if need 
be) unto death. In this contest the sword is ever 
drawn, and therefore needs no scabbard. 

These united emblems admonish us to "judge not 
according to the appearance, but to judge righteous 
judgment " — and teach us that " however much of 



OF THE THIRD DEGREE. 153 



partiality may exist in the world, yet among Odd- 
Fellows both justice and mercy are administered 
without regard to the artificial distinctions of 
society. In the Lodge, rich and poor, high and 
low, learned and unlearned, meet as brethren, and 
unitedly engage in the work of benevolence and 
charity." 




II. The Bible. 

The Bible is " placed among our emblems because 
it is the fountain whence we draw instruction, the 
storehouse whence our precepts are derived, and 
most of our emblems are found in its pages." !N"o 
Lodge can be held without it. 

Its teachings of God and His Fatherhood — of 
man, and human brotherhood — as well as " the first 
and great command," and " the second command- 
ment which is like unto it," on which " two com- 
mandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" — 
give this emblem peculiar value to all Odd-Fellows 
of every sect and every creed. And in view of 



154 the odd-fellow's manual. 



our certain mortality, all need its teachings of a 
future life. Knowing that man must die, we desire 
to be assured that the ever-living God is our Father, 
and will make us the sharers of His immortality 
and eternal life, as revealed in that Book of Books. 
Guided by its instructions, the fabled golden age 
of the past would soon become the more than golden 
age of the promised future, and earth be again a 
Paradise. 




III. Hour Glass. 
This emblem of swiftly passing time teaches us 
to " improve the moments as they fly, in a manner 
that shall redound to the glory of God, and our 
own and our neighbor's good." 

IV. The Coffin. 
Emblem of Certain Truth. — It represents that most 
certain but too little needed truth, that the honors 
of the world, the applause of men, the distinctions 
of birth, wealth, fame, all end in that " narrow 
house." 

''Can storied urn or animated bust 

Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath? 
Can Honor's voice provoke the silent dust, 

Or Flattery soothe the dull, cold ear of death? 



OF THE THIRD DECREE. 



155 



'The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, 
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, 

Await alike th' inevitable hour; 

The paths of glory lead — but to the grave !" 




" There — (so it teaches us) — there the distinctions 
of this life cease^ and the rich and the poor, the 
proud and the humble, the high and the lowly, 
sleep together! All are on a level at last!" And 
there, too, must we meet — in a brief period, at 
longest — as weak, as lowly, as mute as the rest. 
Only the good or the evil we do will survive us, to 
hallow or to blast our memories in the hearts of 
those we have benefited or injured. 

Say, my brethren, shall our names live on, after 
us, for blessing or for cursing ? Answer it now and 
henceforth, in blessing and being blessed ! 



Street Regalia. 
For Public Processions the G. L. U. S. (Proceedings, 
1878, p. 7790) adopted the following, "which may 



156 the odd-fellow's manual. 



be worn by Subordinate Lodges when in public pro- 
cession." 

1. The style of hat or cap and dress shall be left 
to the jurisdiction of the individual subordinate 
Lodges, provided that, in each case, strict uniformity 
shall be enjoined and observed. 

2. Plain white gloves only shall be worn. 

3. A Jewel collar, two and one half inches wide 
(no more nor less) at the widest part, uniting in a 
point in front, (in accordance with pattern there- 
with presented,) made of light blue silk, Italian 
cloth, or other material, (except velvet, which shall 
not be used,) edged with silver lace or braid one- 
fourth of an inch wide, and without embroidery or 
other ornamentation of any kind whatever. 

4. A medal to be suspended from the collar, of 
white metal, one and three-fourths inches in diam- 
eter, having on the obverse side, in raised work, the 
All-Seeing Eye, encircled by rays of light; and on 
the reverse, also in raised work, the three links of 
the Order, surrounded by the legends : — " In God 
we Trust." " Friendship, Love, and Truth." 

5. Officers and Past Officers may wear, instead 
thereof, or in addition thereto, such jewel or jewels 
of the Order as they may be entitled to wear else- 
where, in conformity with the existing regulations. 

Note. — " All members of a Subordinate Lodge may wear Rosettes, 
displaying the colors of the Degrees they have taken." — Digest G. 
L. U. S. 

1ST. B. — We would earnestly urge strict observance 
of the exact forms, colors, trimmings, &c, of jewels 
and regalia prescribed by the Sovereign Grand 



OF THE THIRD DEGREE. 157 



Lodge, and the Grand Bodies under it. No mem- 
ber should wear (or Subordinate permit any member 
or visitor to wear) colors or jewels to which he or she 
is not entitled. Trifling as they may seem in them- 
selves, they are important in their uses and mean- 
ings, and mortifying and injurious mistakes have 
occurred by their misuse. 



14 



158 



THE ODD-FELLOW S MANUAL. 




CHAPTER VI. 

OF THE DEGREE OF REBEKAH, AND REBEKAH DEGREE 
LODGES. 

§ 1. Prefatory. 
The Degree of Iiebekah was originally devised 
and established as an honorary degree, without 
organization in separate lodges ; and was mainly de- 
signed for the benefit of wives and widows of Scarlet 
Degree members — to unite them more directly with 
the Order, and to interest them in its operations. 
It thus, also, gave them a right and means to be 
informed of the standing of their husbands in the 
Subordinate Lodge. But (as will be seen) this design 
has been greatly extended to include the daughters 
and sisters, and even the legally adopted daughters, 
of such members ; and to unite the most interested 
and active workers among the Daughters of Re- 
bekah into select lodges, where, in co-operation 



OF THE DEGREE OF REBEKAH. 159 



with their male kindred and friends, they may better 
learn and practise the active benevolence ana 1 humane 
duties of Odd-Fellowship. 

The Ritual of the Degree was reported to the Gr. 
L. U. S. at its session in September, 1851, by Repre- 
sentatives Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana ; Wm. T. 
Martin, of Mississippi ; and E. G. Steele, of Ten- 
nessee — the Committee previously appointed to pre- 
pare it. Bro. Colfax is acknowledged as its author. 
It was adopted at the same session, and went into 
use with 1852. The following are the most import- 
ant items of information concerning the Degree and 
its Lodges. 

1. Any authorized Subordinate Lodge can confer 
this Degree on its eligible members, and on the 
wives, widows, daughters, and sisters of such mem- 
bers, if properly proposed as candidates; but this 
does not admit the recipients to be members or 
visitors in a Rebekah Degree Lodge ; it only makes 
or declares them eligible to membership in such a 
lodge, on application and election under its laws 
and regulations. 

2. As it is only an honorary degree when con- 
ferred by a Subordinate Lodge, such Lodge confers 
it without charge, and without a previous ballot. 
But when conferred by a Rebekah Degree Lodge, 
it admits the recipient to active membership, and 
to all the rights and privileges thereof. Therefore 
a proposition and ballot must precede conferment, 
and the Rebekah Degree Lodge exacts fees and dues 
to compensate for the benefits accompanying mem- 
bership. 

3. Persons eligible to receive this Degree in a Sub- 



160 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



ordinate Lodge, are — 1st. Members of the Scarlet 
Degree in good standing. 2d. The wife of such 
member — to be proposed by her husband. 3d. A 
widow, whose husband was such a member at his 
decease, to be proposed by the N. G-. of her late 
husband's lodge.* 4th. An unmarried daughter 
of such member — to be proposed by her father. 5th. 
An adopted daughter of such a member, if adopted 
under statute law of the State — to be proposed by 
her adopting father, f 6th. An orphan daughter of 
one who was such a member at his death — to be 
proposed by the N. G-. of her father's lodge, or by 
her guardian. 7th. A sister of such a member — to 
be proposed by her brother. 

4. E". B. And here notice especially— (1st.) In all 
cases the daughter, or sister, thus proposed, mujst be 
unmarried and eighteen years old. (An unmarried 
divorced sister is eligible proposed as above. — See 
Journal, 1880, pp. 8211, 8337, 8440.) (2d.) In the 
Subordinate Lodge the degree cannot be conferred 
on a lady, except in the presence of the proposer 
and of other ladies who are or have been candidates 
for the degree. (3d.) In a Rebekah Degree Lodge 
any of the above designated unmarried females, or 
a widow, may be proposed by either parent, or her 
brother, or guardian, or E". G., (as the case may re- 
quire,) or by any member of such Degree Lodge 
who presents proper vouchers of the candidate's 
eligibility, and of the parent's consent, if the candi- 

*The widow of an Odd-Fellow not of the Scarlet Degree can only 
receive the Degree with the consent of the Lodge ; while, in the 
case of a widow of a Scarlet Degree member, the Lodge has no such 
option — she is entitled to receive it as a right. 

■j- A step-daughter is not eligible unless thus adopted. 



OP THE DEGREE OF REBEKAH. 161 



date is an unmarried daughter. (4th.) The good 
standing of a Daughter of Rebekah is not dependent 
on the subsequent good standing of her husband, 
father, or brother, in his Subordinate Lodge; nor 
does her marriage, in or out of the Order, affect it. 
(5th.) Where parties are distant from the lodge to 
which their proper proposers belong, certificates of 
eligibility, of consent of parents, and of proposition, 
under signatures of the ~N. G., V. G., and Secretary, 
and seal of the Lodge, may authorize the degree to 
be conferred by the nearest Subordinate Lodge, or 
the candidate to be admitted into the nearest Re- 
bekah Degree Lodge. 

5. All who are eligible to receive this Degree in 
a Subordinate Lodge, are likewise eligible to receive 
the Degree and be admitted to membership in a Re- 
bekah Degree Lodge, after due proposition and elec- 
tion thereto. 

6. Rebekah Degree Lodges are chartered, and 
instituted, and governed, by the constitutions, laws 
and usages prescribed by the Sovereign Grand 
Lodge, the Grand Lodge of their State or Territory, 
and their own by-laws approved by their Grand 
Lodge. They charge fees and dues, and pay bene- 
fits, and require services, as set forth in their con- 
stitutions and by-laws, the same as any Subordinate 
Lodge. Hence the general work, duties, modes 
and forms of business (excepting the secret work of 
the Subordinate) are the same as in a Subordinate 
Lodge, viz., to visit the sick, relieve the distressed, 
bury the dead, aid the widow, and educate the 
orphan, as our heavenly Father grants means and 

14* L 



162 the odd-fellow's manual. 



opportunities ; and thus ameliorate human suffering, 
benefit society, and elevate and improve their own 
characters and those of their brothers and sisters in 
Odd-Fellowship. 

7. Each Rebekah Degree Lodge must consist of 
not less than five men and five women, who have 
received the Degree, and are otherwise qualified to 
receive a charter from the Grand Lodge having 
jurisdiction. 

8. Seven members, without regard to sex, con- 
stitute a quorum in a Rebekah Degree Lodge ; and 
both sexes are alike eligible to hold any office in the 
same, if otherwise duly qualified by previous station 
or service in inferior offices, the same as in a Sub- 
ordinate Lodge. 

9. The officers of a Eebekah Degree Lodge are 
the same in titles, numbers, and respective duties as 
in a Subordinate Lodge, and occupy similar stations 
in the lodge-rooms. Therefore, for further and 
more detailed information, we refer to .the corre- 
sponding portions of our remarks on the Subordi- 
nate Lodge and its members, committees, and offi- 
cers, Chapters VII. to XII. inclusive. 

10. Application having been made to the work- 
ing Lodge, and granted, for this Degree — and the 
appointed time for conferring it having arrived — 
the ladies will be brought into the ante-room, and 
will there take off' shawls or cloaks, and bonnets, 
for their own comfort. As there is nothing im- 
proper or offensive in the ceremonial, (which must 
be conferred in the presence of their husbands and 
each other,) none need feel the least hesitancy or 
timidity about entering the lodge-room. 



OF THE DEGREE OF REBEKAH. 163 



§ 2. Of the Degree. 

1. As the degree is designed to unite the wives and 
widows of members more intimately with the work of 
Odd-Fellowship, we address our remarks to the women 
only. 

2. No lady should assume the responsibilities of this 
degree, who feels not a desire to devote herself for life, 
when her other duties will permit, to " visit the sick, 
relieve the distressed, bury the dead, and educate the 
orphan." She who feels this desire, and is resolved to 
follow its dictates, whatever the circumstances, or what- 
ever the opinions of the world around her, is worthy to 
receive its honors. 

3. Not only should such a resolve exist, but a deter- 
mination to obey it in the true spirit of our Order and 
of religion itself, quietly and noiselessly, like the drop- 
pings of the gentle rain, or the distillations of the 
silent dew on parched herbage and drooping flower. 
In Bible language, " let not thy left hand know what 
thy right hand doeth." 

4. Can you, will you thus promise to do good to 
your fellow-beings, as good should always be done by 
the votaries of our Order ? Such is the path we have 
trodden. The malice of bigotry, the opposition of 
ignorance, the misrepresentations of prejudice assailed 
us at every step, but our Order pressed onward, not 
pausing even for defence ; doing good for evil, giving 
blessing for curses, and even benefiting those who most 
aided to injure us. Will you walk with us in this path ? 
Can you resolve to labor with us in such works of for- 
bearance and love ? 

5. Before you answer, consider well. Our Order 



164 the odd-fellow's manual. 



scorns to receive unwilling vows. Though arduous and 
difficult its duties, they are joyous in themselves and 
rich in their compensations. We offer you no worldly 
honor for your sacrifices ; for often the world knows 
not or understands not either your motives or your 
deeds. We can only promise our countenance and aid, 
the approval of your own conscience, the blessings of 
those you have succored, and the rewards of our Great 
Parent. Consider, then, what is involved in the duty 
of loving your neighbor as yourself. It may call you 
from the bowers of pleasure to the couch of the pained 
and suffering; from amid the joyous and gay to the 
abode of poverty and wo; from a social or domestic 
circle of peace and comfort to watch through the weary 
night hours; to wipe the clammy death-sweat from 
the brow, or press with balmy hand the bounding 
pulse; to give the healing medicine, or speak calm- 
ness to the delirious thoughts; to pour oil into the 
flickering lamp of life, or close the fading eye as the 
last prayer bears on its wings the departing spirit into 
the presence of its God. Is this too much, too great a 
sacrifice for you? Then, retire in peace: pronounce 
not the vows we ask ! 

6. You hear all this, you consider it well, but you 
waver not, you draw not back ! Such is woman's 
courage and humanity ! We welcome you, therefore, 
to duties so honorable, so peculiarly adapted to your 
loving hearts and sympathizing natures. Through 
long, long years you cheered us onward, rejoicing in 
our prosperity and blessing our labors. Advance, now, 
with us, by receiving this degree, which we have esta- 
blished as a pledge of our confidence in your goodness 
and fidelity. 

7. Sacredly guard from exposure by any means the 



OF THE DEGREE OF REBEKAH. 165 



signs and words by which you may be known as a 
member of this degree, and demand aid and counsel 
from the brotherhood in seasons of difficulty, danger, 
or distress. Make full trial of those whom you would 
address, and confide in them only after careful and 
rigid examination. 

8. These signs and words are never to be used in 
a light or trifling manner, or for purposes of mere 
curiosity. They are meant to be useful, and their 
utility makes them important. One of them is changed 
every year. So long as your husband retains his moral 
and pecuniary standing in his Lodge, it will be 
given you, annually, by him, or, in his absence, by the 
presiding officer of his Lodge. 

9. Having united with our Order, we would direct 
and stimulate you in the performance of the duties it 
enjoins, by referring you to illustrious examples in 
your own' sex. And nobler specimens of humanity and 
true womanhood can nowhere be found in past ages, 
than are named to us in the Book of Books. 

10. Behold the hospitality of the modest and grace- 
ful Rebekah, readily ministering to the stranger and 
his thirsty, way-worn cattle. It was her character- 
istic when Isaac became her husband, as God had 
appointed ; it remained hers when she was the aged 
mother of a family. Mark the confiding piety of the 
wife OF Manoah, encouraging her husband to trust in 
God, and herself to hold converse with the Angel which 
gave her promise of Samson. Also, the devotion of 
Hannah, dedicating her child Samuel unto God from 
his infancy. See also the zeal and courage of patriotism 
in Deborah, the widow who was a bright star of hope 
in her country's trouble ; and at whose word, it was 
said, " the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.' 



166 THE ODD-FELLOW 's MANUAL. 



And the self-sacrificing love of countrymen, so like that 
of Moses, by whom was it better evinced than by the 
queenly Esther ? — risking station, and life even, to 
3ave from massacre her father's people. The steadfast 
filial piety and devoted affection of Ruth fills one of 
the most beautiful biographical narratives of the Bible. 
How tender and how beautiful her language to her 
widowed and childless mother-in-law, Naomi ! "Entreat 
me not to leave thee ; for whither thou goest I will go ; 
where thou lodgest I will lodge ; thy people shall be my 
people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will 
I die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to 
me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and 
me." Consider also the virgin prophetess, Miriam, 
the sister, the almost mother of Aaron and Moses. 
From the hour in which she watched over the latter as 
he was rocked by the waters of the Nile, to the hour of 
her death, she proved herself a noble, high-minded, 
generous, brave, loving sister and woman. And thus, 
from Sarah, the wife of the Friend of God, and the 
mother of patriarchs, down to Martha and Mary, 
to the women who watched when the disciples fled, to 
Dorcas who cared for the poor, the history glows and 
brightens with woman's worth and loveliness. Before 
these, how the glory of Cleopatra and Aspasia, of 
Elizabeth of England, or Catharine of Russia, "loses, 
discountenanced, and like folly shows." We therefore 
hold up for your imitation the goodness of those whose 
modesty and worth, whose domestic and public virtues, 
prove them women indeed. 

11. For woman's work is to do good. Men need 
banding together, to stimulate their better affections : 
but in woman, benevolence and humanity are spoi) 



OE THE DEGREE OP REBEKAH. 161 



taneous.* In entering into closer union with our 
Order, therefore, you need only follow, as before, the 
promptings of your ever-ready sympathies, to perform 
its duties and fulfil its obligations. In your families 
and neighborhoods, wherever misery can be relieved, 
want supplied, or sorrow consoled, there is the work of 
a daughter of Rebekah. 

12. And in return for the aid you bring us, we pledge 
duty and devotion to you. For at no time has woman 
been excluded from our cares or labors. Rather, for 
her has our Order been founded and improved. For 
wife and children, rather than for self, has the husband 
and the father given it his labors and his means. For 
them has the largest portion of our benefits been pro- 
vided. When her partner in the household is laid on 



* The great traveller, Ledyard, truly says — "I have observed 

among all nations, that the women are the same kind, 

civil, obliging, humane, tender beings ; that they are ever inclined 
to be gay and cheerful, timorous and modest. They do not hesitate, 
like man, to perform a hospitable or generous action ; not haughty, 
nor arrogant, nor supercilious, but full of courtesy and fond of 
society ; industrious, economical, ingenuous ; more liable in general 
to err than man, but in general, also more virtuous, and performing 
more good actions than he. I never addressed myself in the language 
of decency and frienship to a woman, whether civilized or savage, 
without receiving a decent and friendly answer. With man, it has 
often been otherwise. In wandering over the barren plains of in- 
hospitable Denmark, through honest Sweden, frozen Lapland, rude 
and churlish Finland, unprincipled Russia, and the wide-spread 
regions of the wandering Tartar, if hungry, dry, cold, wet, or sick, 
woman has ever been friendly to me, and uniformly so ; and to add 
to this virtue, so worthy of the appellation of benevolence, these 
actions have been performed in so free and so kind a manner, that 
if I was dry, I drank the sweet draught, and if hungry, ate the 
coarse morsel, with n double relish."— Spar its' s Life of Dtdyard, 252 



168 the odd-fellow's manual. 



the bed of sickness, for her we pay the benefits. When 
she is weary with watching at his bedside, we send 
brethren to relieve her. When death removes him, we 
give her double what he is allowed when she is taken 
away. And when the widow's home is hers, with its 
loneliness and gloom, strong hands and warm hearts 
form a protection around her, to supply her wants, and 
cherish her and hers, for the sake of him to whom they 
pledged a love 

"Failing not when life has perish'd, 
Living still beyond the tomb." 

But now, more than ever, if possible, do we pledge 
our means, resources, and powers, to promote your 
welfare and secure your interests. 

13. You learn, then, that our Odd-Y ellowshiip is a 
unity of hearts and purposes to resist the heartlessness 
and selfishness of the world around us. Having become 
one with us and of us in that fellowship, and assumed 
our obligations, we can better demonstrate to you that 
our greatest duty and highest aim is the promotion of 
a practical, loving fraternity of mankind. For the 
entire human race is but one family, not only physically, 
but spiritually, not only theoretically, but really and 
truly. Each member, therefore, is bound to aid the 
rest. Our mission is not a narrow one. " None of us 
liveth to himself." We are created and placed here to 
labor for our fellow-men, to advance our age, elevate 
our country, and improve our race. 

14. With such teachings within our Temple, leading 
to corresponding practices without, our Order will with- 
stand all the shocks of opposition, and the changes of 
public opinion, and grow firmer and stronger in its 



OP THE DEGREE OF REBEKAH. 169 



moral power, until " the wreck of matter and the 
crush of worlds" changes our theatre of action to 
one of repose, our labor to reward. 

§ 3. Regalia of Degree of Jlebekah. 

Out of the Lodge, the regalia of this Degree, for 
ladies only, is a pink and a green ribbon intertwined or 
twisted together, which may be worn as a bow, collar, 
bracelet, or as a trimming on any part of the dress, 
according to the wearer's taste or fancy. 

In the Lodge, the regalia of the brethren is the 
same as in their Subordinate Lodge — that of sisters, 
is the collar of the Order — to which may be added 
rosettes of the appropriate colors, and the jewels of 
offices held or passed. 

The Jewels are the -same as in the Subordinate 
Lodge ; but those worn by lady officers and P. offi- 
cers should be of lesser size, to correspond with the 
smaller collars worn by them. 

§ 4. Colors of the Degree. 

Pink — " the hue by which the ancients represented 
youth and modesty" — is appropriate to all the asso- 
ciations which cluster around the memory of the 
youthful Rebekah. " It denotes, in poetry, the 
springtime of life, when faith is the most confiding, 
the affections most vigorous, and friendship most 
constant. Nature herself seems to have dictated 
the choice of this color as figurative of those very 
qualities with which the imagination has coupled it. 
In the prismatic spectrum the red ray (of which 
pink is but a modification) is the most calorific and 
least refrangible of all. The moral parallel is — our 
lb 



170 



covenant love should be ardent and never turn from 
its purpose." 

GrKEEN u is the most widely diffused of all the 
tints which adorn the material world. Nature has 
clothed herself in this rich garniture throughout 
her solid domain ; yet, although it is so lavishly- 
spread before us from mountain-top to dell, the eye 
never rests upon it without a sense of refreshment 
and delight." There are few things in the vegetable 
kingdom so valuable to man and so highly graced 
of God, as the grass. From its towering growth in 
the tropics, to its minutest spires in the arctics, 
"the gay green grass" is the most useful, as it is 
the most common of earth's products — not only 
restful and pleasing in itself, but adding beauty and 
grace to the flowers it embosoms — giving to the 
violet its winsome modesty, to the forget-me-not 
its sweet shyness, to the " wee, modest, crimson- 
tipped" daisy its tender grace, and heightening 
the glory of the dandelions, those " golden drops 
of sunshine sprinkled o'er the grass." Well might 
men, even in very remote ages, choose green from 
all its sister colors, to be the symbol of memory and 
eternity" How like memory do the verdurous 
" waves of everlasting green" soften down the deso- 
lations wrought by brutal hates and mad ambition — 
filling rifle-pits, healing gashes of shot and shell 
on Mother Earth's bosom, rounding innumerable 
grave-mounds, and turning the ruins and desolations 
of war into beautiful scenes of quietude and peace. 
All like woman's work, also, amid the strifes, and 
sufferings, and sorrows of life I And how does our 
sense of rest and our softened memories of life's 
bitter trials, spread out before our longing souls the 



OF THE DEGREE OF REBEKAH. 171 



infinitude of peace from toil and care — of everlast- 
ing repose from sin and sorrow — there, " where the 
wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at 
rest !" Well does the sacred song embody the color 
as investing the heavenly state — 

"Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood, 
Stand dressed in living green." 

Pink and Green, also, are complements of each 
other — that is, if we gaze earnestly and fixedly, for 
some time, at an object of either color, and then 
gently close our eyes, the other color will present 
itself to our veiled vision — the pink supplemented 
by green, or the green by pink, as the case may be. 
Thus the blending of these two colors in this Degree 
suggests a harmony in their contrasts — not only in 
the colors themselves, but in the ideas they symbol- 
ize. The fieeting Springtime and the ever-during 
Eternity — the softened memory and the bright- 
tinted hope — the warm affection and the ever verdu- 
rous confidence of trust — the remembered past and 
the prepared-for future — the youth that ends in age, 
and the age that ends in a renewed youth — the life 
that is, and immortality and eternal life to come 1 

§ 5. Emblems of the D. of JR. 
I. The Bee Hive. 

Emblem of Associated Industry. — It represents order 
and unity in working — good government; and re- 
minds us of our obligations to meet together as one 
family, to aid and relieve those in distress— thus 
quickening and strengthening our sympathies for 
suffering humanity, and inducing us to store up all 
needed supplies for their gratification. It likewise 



172 



THE ODD-FELLOW ? S MANUAL. 



teaches us proper subordination, and the distribution 
of tasks and labors to accomplish common aims — to 
gather sweets from even the refuse of life, and 
honey from poisonous weeds — to shun idleness, and 
all misuse of time and of means, and that " if we 




would pass the winter of age in comfort and cheerful 
abundance, we must improve the summer of our 
lives under the guidance of economy and well- 
directed industry." 

II. The Dove. 




OF THE DEGREE OF REBEKAH. 173 



Emblem of Constancy. — It represents the faithful 
messenger that brought to righteous Noah the olive- 
leaf of peace — the pledge of God's continued favor 
— and teaches us that, if constant in our reverence of 
G-od, and in " keeping His commandments," we 
" shall behold, amid all the storms and tempests of 
life, tokens of Divine approbation, and receive the 
visits of the celestial messenger, the Holy Spirit." 
The dove is also an emblem of harmlessness and 
innocency. 




IH. The Moon and Seven Stars. 
Emblem of Natural (material) Truth. — As the sun, 
the great fountain of light, represents Truth in its 
fulness and glory — too great and too bright for 
mortal vision to comprehend fully and to behold 
clearly — so the moon and stars represent it in those 
reflected forms in which it is adapted to our capaci- 
ties and our wants. But by the aid of science they 
remind us that, however plainly seen, they are not 
what they seem ; but are more and greater — not 
mere surfaces of diminutive size, almost within 
15* 



174 the odd-fellow's manual. 



reach ; but immense orbs immeasurably distant. 
And thus they teach that even of visible things 
"we know but in part;" and understand not the 
essence and inward modes of their existence. Be 
humble, then, in your knowledge: for "what we 
know is little, but what we do not know is im- 
mense." Be patient, therefore, with the ignorant 
and those who differ with you — strive to enlighten 
the one, and to consider wherefore the other sees not 
as you do ; that all may glory in the measure of 
truth God giveth us to profit withal.* 

§6. Pass- Words. 

There are three kinds of Pass-Words especially 
belonging to this Degree, and to it alone. 

1st. The Degree Word. — This is never changed. It 
is used, with other tests, to prove possession of the 
Degree, and to gain admission at the inner door of 
a Rebekah Degree Lodge. 

2d. The Annual Word. — This is changed yearly by 

* " The seven Stars remind us of the seven pillars in the house 
of wisdom, the seven stars and seven churches in Asia ; and they 
caution us to beware, lest, by a neglect of duty, we are blotted 
from the horizon of moral goodness, to wander starless in the night 
of destitution. They also represent the seven spirits of God, and 
gladden our hearts with the assurance that, if we are wise, and 
turn many to righteousness, we shall shine as the stars of the firma- 
ment forever and ever. 

" The Moon, reflecting the light of the Sun, represents to us the 
welcome smiles of Friendship, Love, and Truth, shining in the night 
of misfortune ; and teaches us that as her rays are only reflected 
from a greater luminary, so all the glory and beauty of this earth, 
all the wisdom and goodness man can exhibit, are but reflections 
caught from Jehovah, the great Source of life, light, and love." — - 
Richmond (Va.) Odd-Fellow, 1842. 



OP THE DEGREE OF REBEKAH. 175 



the G. Sire. It corresponds to (and, when applying 
to a E. D, Lodge, is used instead of) the A. T. P. W. 
of the Order. It is only used out of the State, Dis- 
trict, or Territory of the holder's R. D. L., and then 
only at the outer door of such a Degree Lodge, as a 
test of the holder's possession of the Degree. 

3d. The Semi-Annual Word. — This is changed half 
yearly by the G. Master of the District, State, or 
Territory of the Lodges therein — or by the G-. Sire, 
where there is no State Grand Lodge. It is to be 
used only in the jurisdiction where it was given, 
and on applying for admission at the outer door of a 
R. D. L. It thus becomes a test of the good stand- 
ing of the holder in his R. D. L. 

[glT 3 Be careful not to confound the Term (or 
Semi-Annual) Word of the Subordinate Lodge or 
Encampment, with that of this Degree. 

K". B. — When the Rebekah Degree is conferred by 
a Subordinate Lodge, the Instructor gives the 
Annual Word ; but when the Degree is conferred in 
a Rebekah Degree Lodge, the Semi-Annual Word 
is given instead of the Annual Word. Both give 
the Degree Word, of course. 

The lessons of the preceding degrees of the Sub- 
ordinate Lodge and of the Degree of Rebekah, 
can have no ending more appropriate and beautiful 
than the following lines, from the pen of Miss Mal- 
vina Jane Church — afterward the wife of Rev. W. 
E. Manley, D. D.— first published in 1846. The 
warm heart, the cultured brain, the skilful hand 
of "the sweet singer," now sleep in the dust; but 
the rich consolations of Christian Hope and Faith 



176 the odd-fellow's manual. 



assure us that the spirit which animated them on 
earth, and inspired these lines, yet lives on high. 

'FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, AND TRUTH." 

Three golden arrows in the quiver, 

Fill'd else with darts of strife; 
Three sunny islands in the river, 

The rapid stream of life — 
Three stars in heaven's gem-deck'd attire, 

That never fade or dim ; 
Three harp-notes in the spirit-lyre, 

Notes angels' love to hymn. 

Three charms to guard the heart from sorrow. 

To keep aloof life's woes; 
Three whispers of a brighter morrow, 

The morrow of repose — 
Three links amid the golden fetters, 

That heart to heart entwine : 
Upon life's scroll three mystic letters, 

Placed there by hand divine. 

Three watch-lights on the stormy highlands 

Of earth's wave-beaten strand; 
Three harbors 'mong the rocky islands, 

Begirt with treach'rous sands — 
Three life-preservers on time's ocean, 

With dangerous reefs below ; 
Three voices mid the heart's commotion, 

To hush its strains of woe. 

Three blossoms from the land of flowers, 

To cheer the fainting soul ; 
Three rays of beauty from the bowers, 

Beyond life's utmost goal — 
Three strains of rapturous musio swelling, 

Around the burial sod; 
Three pillars in the holy dwelling — 

The temple of our God. 



OF THE SUBORDINATE LODGE. 177 



CHAPTER VII. 

OF THE SUBORDINATE LODGE. 

§ 1. Members and Qualifications. 

A Subordinate Lodge is constituted of not less than 
five brethren in good standing, including one qualified 
to preside over its meetings.* It must be regularly 
chartered and instituted by the Sovereign Grand Lodge 
I. O. O. F., or by some Grand Lodge recognized as 
legal by our Sovereign Grand Lodge. The following 
directions are deemed proper, for those who desire to 
get up and organize a Lodge. 

§ 2. How Commenced. 

If desirous of forming a Lodge in your vicinity, 
ascertain first how many brethren can be found willing 
to petition for that object. This may be done by private 
inquiry, or by calling an informal meeting by public 
notice. Should a sufficient number of the proper cha- 
racter (for this is an all-important consideration) not be 
found, ascertain whether any members of the Order, at 

*In some States, under particular circumstances, there must be 
more than Jive petitioners for a Charter, In others, all the officers 
must receive, or have received, the three degrees, which may be con- 
ferred on the first officers of a new Lodge by special dispensation. 
Previous service is also dispensed with in the same manner. The 
Constitution and By-Laws of each Grand Lodge, or any of its officers 
or active members, will furnish the necessary information. 



178 the odd-fellow's manual. 



a distance, can be induced to unite with you temporarily. 
Or, what is better, find the necessary number of proper 
individuals willing to proceed to the nearest Lodge, and 
be there initiated for the purpose of uniting in a peti- 
tion for a charter. 

Much prudence and forecast are necessary in these 
preliminary operations. Guard against imposition. 
Scrutinize the moral and social fitness of proposed 
associates. Calculate carefully the probabilities of 
being joined, after the Lodge is instituted, by proper 
persons, and in sufficient numbers, to render the Lodge 
truly respectable, morally, and to secure it sufficient 
pecuniary ability. For on first impressions may de- 
pend its entire acceptability to those who are worth 
having ; and the expenses of starting a Lodge, furnish- 
ing a room, &c, are too great to be made a matter of 
mere guess-work and risk. Consider well, therefore, 
every step before it is taken, and make haste very de- 
liberately. 

§ 3. The Petition. 

Having obtained the number of properly qualified 
coadjutors, ascertain, from some reliable person, pre- 
cisely what is required of petitioners. In most juris- 
dictions, withdrawal cards, stating each brother's rank 
and station, must accompany the petition. (See No. 8, 
Appendix B.) The Charter fee, which varies in differ- 
ent States, (but usually thirty dollars,) must accompany 
it, and will be returned, if the petition is not granted. 
Sometimes, instead of the cards, there is sent merely a 
certificate from the nearest D. D. G. Sire or D. D. G. 
Master, (as the case may be,) stating that they are in his 
hands, and are correct, as set forth in the petition. 

If the Lodge is to be located in a State or Territory 



□ U3 □ 1 

. ! R.s. N.S. L.S. 

| SIC'Y.) II J 




ItreasJ 

"OR ' ! 


~ WARDEN. CONDUIT 




□ □ 








□S 


LODGE ROOM 




US 

z 












Adopted by the G L. U. S., 








Session 1872. 










□ □ 












S.S.. S.S. 










l=9.'V.G. R,S. 






□ rzn P 








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DOOR 


g VESTIBULE OR 


Ar 


JTE OR 


= ~l RECEPTION ROOlyl 


p PREPA 


RATION ROOM. 


~- — E 


b 




s § > 






r 


' 


S 1 


LOCKER. 



This diagram is only intended to show the position of the 
various officers of a Sub. Lodge. The location of the doors, 
either to the Lodge Room, or to the Ante-room, or from outside 
of the Vestibule, cannot be determined. It is not proposed to 
fix definitely which side of the N. G. the Secretary and Treas- 
urer shall sit or face — nor which side of the room the P. G. 
shall sit — but the Chaplain, if there is one, should sit opposite 
theP G. 




Note. — The diagram is intended only to show the positions 
of the various Officers of a Subordinate Encampment. The lo- 
cation of the doors, either to the Encampment Room or the 
Ante-room, or from outside to the Vestibule, cannot be deter- 
mined. It is not proposed to fix definitely which side of the 
C. P. the Scribe and Treasurer shall sit, nor which side of the 
room the Tent shall be. 

If an Encampment meets in a Lodge Room, the Chairs ar- 
ranged for the Lodge will suit the Encampment. The Tent 
can be adjusted at the Chaplain's or P. G.'s position, so as to be 
triced up and festooned against the wall when not used, or re- 
moved at pleasure. 



OF THE SUBORDINATE LODGE. 179 



where there is no Grand Lodge, the petition, &c. must be 
addressed to the Sovereign G. Lodge of the I. O. O. F. 
and forwarded to the Grand Secretary of the same 
(at Baltimore, Md.). But if where there is a State 
Grand Lodge, address it accordingly, and make the 
Charter fee and other requisites correspond with its re- 
quirements. 

The Sovereign Lodge of the I. O. O. F. requires the 
expenses of its Grand Officer or Agent who opens the 
Lodge to be paid by the petitioners. But in most of 
the States, the Grand Lodge pays this expense. Of 
course the brethren will provide him and those who 
assist in opening, with proper quarters and accommo- 
dations, and thus honor their visitors and themselves 
with fraternal hospitality. But great care should be 
taken to ascertain clearly all the probable expenses, and 
keep an accurate account thereof, for future settlement. 

§4. Preparations for Institution. 

Having ascertained that a charter can be had,, get 
applications (and proposition fees) from all whom you 
unanimously agree to admit. So arrange your Lodge- 
room that it may be an Encampment-room also. (See 
preceding Diagrams). Make it and the premises secure 
against eaves-droppers, pryers and burglars. Bender it as 
convenient and comfortable as your means will allow. 
Neatness and comfort are secured cheaply, in comparison 
with mere show and splendor; and the latter without the 
former are very dear, indeed ! Purchase your regalia 
and jewels, your furniture, wardrobe, &c. ; and see that 
they are substantial, as well as appropriate in appear- 
ance and cost. Refresh each other's memories as much 



180 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



as possible in the ceremonials and work of the Order, 
that the institution, installation, and initiations may be 
impressive and correct. Agree on the officers, so as to 
have the election brief and unanimous, and the ap- 
pointments promptly made and accepted. All these 
and kindred matters should be determined and arranged 
before the arrival of the person who is to open the 
Lodge. Then when the time arrives for institution, &c, 
every thing is ready in turn ; the petitioners are on hand, 
the Lodge is opened, the officers are elected and in- 
stalled without delays and strifes, the applications for 
membership are referred to the proper Committee, and 
forthwith reported on in due form ; and the initiations 
follow with all the facility and impressiveness of an old 
and well-working Lodge. How much more delightful 
and salutary, than where every thing is left to the last 
moment, and then crowded through with contentions, 
anxieties, and bungled performances, to be remembered 
with shame and vexation for years afterward ! 

§ 5. The First Meeting. 

At the first meeting after institution, as there need 
be no initiation, see that all the new officers and mem- 
bers understand correctly their duties, and are practised 
in their performance. Have all the bills duly made out, 
certified to be correct by the proper Committee, and pass 
a vote providing for their payment out of the first funds 
in the Treasury. Of course, provision has been pre- 
viously made for a loan of money or of credit, by one 
or more of the members, to meet such demands ; but 
this vote by the Lodge is necessary to sanction and 
adopt such proceedings, and to relieve those brethren. 
Appoint (or continue) the Committees to procure neces- 



OF THE SUBORDINATE LODGE. 181 



saries yet needed, to audit accounts, &c. And thus 
prepare for the correct working and prompt transaction 
of business by the Lodge at future meetings. 

§ 6. Increase of Members. 

The great aim of a new Lodge generally is to in- 
crease its membership. This desire, if not regulated by 
great wisdom and prudence, will work incalculable and 
lasting injury to the welfare of the Order. Our views, 
gained by experience and observation in a wide field, 
will be found in our remarks on "The Ballot," and on 
the duties of "Investigating Committees," in a subse- 
quent part of this work. But allow us to add here, that 
numbers are not always strength: they may even prove 
weakness. 

Suppose that in looking around for members, you 
find the most desirable men generally averse. Some 
are afraid of your debt ; others of popular opinion ; 
others still of family prejudices and opposition, and so 
they promise to "consider the subject, and decide by- 
and-by." In other words, they will "wait and see.'' 
Can you remove the difficulty by inducing men careless 
of character, of doubtful health and habits, or still 
more objectionable tempers and dispositions, to propose ? 
Suppose you try it. Your brethren, equally anxious for 
increase, or tender of your feelings, elect them because 
you have urged them to join. So they are initiated ; 
and what is the effect ? s 

Popular prejudice is increased ; the objections of 
families to their members uniting with you are 
strengthened; the merely indifferent are not excited to 
feel an interest in a Lodge composed of such materials. 
But new members have been added and the debt is 
16 



182 the odd-fellow's manual. 



lessened. Yes : and they feel desirous of controlling 
affairs in return. One is brought up under charges for 
neglect of his family, or violation of some of the de- 
cencies or moralities of life. The others, being similarly 
disposed, acquit him in despite of proofs. The habits 
of the doubtful grow decidedly worse under such disci* 
pline, but it is vain to try to expel them. Good mem- 
bers grow disgusted, neglect attendance at Lodge-meet- 
ings, and thus crimiyially resign the reins "wholly to 
bad hands. Claims for benefits come in. It is pretty 
certain that they are false, or were caused by immo- 
rality ; but how prove it ? And if proved, how prevent 
their being granted notwithstanding ? More doubtful 
candidates are proposed; for crows flock to the carcass; 
and you rouse up and reject them. Then, essaying to 
redeem the Lodge from bad management, you induce a 
few resolute, good men to apply. They are rejected, 
because you rejected the others. How, now, stands the 
case ? 

Members have been gained, but public confidence has 
not been gained : character has not been improved ; 
money, even, has not really been gained. Your num- 
bers are not strength, but weakness, and unless help and 
health come by your vigorous action, and aid from 
abroad, or from the Grand Lodge, your Lodge must 
die ; and the whole Order, and all good men, will say, 
Amen ! 

Be cautious, then, whom you propose. Remember 
that admission into the Lodge is admission to your 
family at sickness and death, and admits you to share 
in their characters in public estimation. A charge 
anciently given to an initiate of our Order, contained 
the following excellent advice and admonition : — 
" Should you, at any time, propose a friend to become a 



OF THE SUBORDINATE LODGE. 183 



member of this Order, see that he is such a one as will 
be likely to conform to the laws of our Society ; since 
nothing is so painful to the feelings of faithful Odd- 
Fellows, as to see the requirements of the institution pre- 
faned and trodden under foot ." 

§ 7. Opening Lodge. 

All rites and ceremonies should have for their aim, 
the instruction and improvement of those concerned. 
They should be simple in character, adapted to the 
purposes designed, and easy of performance. And 
they should be performed with earnestness, precision, 
correctness, and in proper time ; and attended to with 
due observation and silence. Such are the ceremonies 
of opening, working, and closing a Lodge of our Order. 
The officers and members, therefore, should make them- 
selves perfectly familiar with all their details, so as to 
understand and perform them correctly. 

Precisely at the appointed time, (allowing but a few 
minutes for differences of time-pieces,) the proper officer 
should put on his regalia, take his chair, and give the 
signal. Punctuality in this matter is highly important. 
It will not only avoid late hours for closing, which 
cause so much inconvenience and dissatisfaction in 
families, but it will secure prompt attendance and 
proper despatch of business. The officers, therefore, 
should be rigidly punctual themselves ; and if not, 
should be held accountable for all delay in opening by 
those whose patience they abuse. 

At the signal, if not before, each member will quietly 
put on the appropriate regalia previously provided by 
the Warden, and move to his station, there to await in 
silence the examination. This should be carefully made 



184 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



by the proper officer, at least once a month not omit- 
ting any, to refresh the memories of brethren, and make 
them attentive to the word. 

In the same respectful silence, all should listen to the 
recital of duties by the several officers. It is a mistake 
to suppose that these concern the officers only. Every 
member should know what duties he may lawfully re- 
quire each officer to perform. And as any brother may 
be called on to fill a vacancy for an evening, or may be 
appointed or elected to fill the offices, it is his duty to 
learn in season what duties he will then be required to 
discharge. Even those who have learned, should be 
silent and attentive, so as to present a proper example 
to new members, and not distract the attention of others 
from any business of the evening. 

Careful heed should be given to the solemn charge 
of the N. G. to each officer and member to perform his 
duties, and to observe those principles which constitute 
each lodge a family and secure fraternal feeling and 
humane conduct among its members. These recitals 
are not mere forms, nor an empty sound of words ; they 
have deep significance, and are designed to subserve 
important ends. Let us guard, then, against a listless 
delivery or an inattentive hearing of them. 

In those State jurisdictions where it is customary, 
the following prayer is offered by the Chaplain or bro- 
ther designated for that purpose : * — 

* Adopted by the Grand Lodge of the United States, to exclude 
prayers offensive to members of the Order in many of our lodges. 
It is also ordered that on all occasions of the Order, "the same 
spirit as observed in the foregoing, shall be strictly followed by the 
officiating clergyman or chaplain." 

"It is desirable and eminently proper that all lodges should open 



OF THE SUBORDINATE LODGE. 185 



Prayer. — Thou King eternal, immortal, and invis- 
ible ! the only wise God, our Saviour ! Thou art the 
Sovereign of universal nature, the only true object of 
our best and holiest affections. We render Thee hearty 
thanks for that kind providence which has preserved us 
during the past week, protecting us from the perils and 
dangers of this life; and for permitting us now to 
assemble in Thy name for the transaction of business. 

We humbly beseech Thee, our Heavenly Father, to 
preside over our assembly, to breathe into our hearts 
the spirit of love and of a sound mind ; and may each 
and all be governed by an anxious desire to advance 
Thy glory and ameliorate the condition of mankind. 

Let Thy blessing rest upon our Order, upon all the 
Lodges, Grand and Subordinate, belonging to our entire 
family of brothers. Let Friendship, Love, and Truth 

and close with prayer." "Each subordinate lodge may determine 
for itself upon opening and closing its sessions with prayer, and may 
determine upon the form to be used." — Digest, G. L. U. S., p. 123. 
The following excellent form, long used in New York, and still 
offered in some lodges there, is equally free from objections with 
that prescribed by the Grand Lodge of the United States: — 

Prayer at Opening. — Almighty and most merciful God, we adore 
Thee as the Creator of all worlds and the righteous Governor of all 
beings ; upon whom we are dependent for life and all its blessings, 
and without whose favor no human enterprise can permanently 
prosper. Lift upon us, we pray Thee, Lord, the light of Thy 
countenance, and bless us while we are together this evening. May 
all things be done in the spirit of charity and brotherly kindness, 
and may our labors of love be blessed to the promotion of the best 
interests of our beloved Order. Hear us, God, in behalf of the 
stranger, the sick, the afflicted, the widow, and the orphan ; and 
bless them as Thou seest they may need. Keep us ever in Thy fear 
and wisdom, and save us all with an everlasting salvation : and to 
Thy Great Name be all the glory, as it was in the beginning, is 
uow, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 
16* 



186 the odd-fellow's manual. 



prevail, until the last tear of distress be wiped away, 
and the Lodge below be absolved by the glory and 
grandeur of the Grand Lodge above. This we ask in 
humble dependence upon, and in most solemn adoration 
of thy One mysterious and glorious Name. Amen. 

In all Lodges the ceremony is then concluded by 
singing an appropriate Ode, when the Lodge is declared 
duly opened, all sectarian, political, or other improper 
utterance prohibited under penalty, and the brethren 
are expected to enter on the proper business of the 
evening, and the diffusion of principles of benevolence 
and charity. 

§ 8. Working of the Lodge. 

Subordinate Lodges are termed « working Lodges," 
(in distinction from Grand Lodges, which are legislative 
bodies,) because in them candidates are initiated, moral 
and social instructions given, and provision directly 
made for performing the active works of Odd-Fellow- 
ship, by the officers and members, during the ensuing 
week. But even the business transactions have an aim 
beyond themselves, the salutary exercise of the moral 
and mental powers of the members in social communion, 
and the increase of their affections in all that relates to 
our great fraternity. 

As the prescribed " Order of business" is merely 
general, we will designate the special items properly 
coming under each rule : — 

I. Calling the Boll of Officers. 

1. Charge each absentee in the Roll-hook with the proper fine for 
non-attendance, or other neglect of duty ; and note his absence on 
the minutes. 



OF THE SUBORDINATE LODGE. 187 



II. Reading Minutes of the 'preceding Lodge-night. 

1. If any special or adjourned meetings have been held within the 
week, read them in connection, and call for corrections. 

2. If no objection be made to any of the Minutes, they are con- 
sidered approved, of course. 

3. Read the names of absentees on previous nights ; if excuses are 
accepted, erase the fines from Roll-book. 

III. Does any brother know of a sick brother, or a 
brother in distress f 

1. Announcement of new cases of illness. 

2. Report of Relief Committee, by their Chairman. 

3. Appointment of watchers for the sick during the ensuing week, 
including the next Lodge-night; so as to allow time to notify absent 
watchers. 

4. Ordering drafts in favor of brethren, widows and orphans 
entitled to benefits or needing aid. 

IV. Consideration of .previous proposals for member- 
ship. <~ 

1. Reports of Committees of Investigation. 

2. Acceptance of Reports and balloting for Candidates. 

V. Candidates admitted. 

N. B. — Special care should be taken to have every officer prepared 
and at his post, and every thing ready, that perfect order and 
silence may be maintained. 

VI. Has any brother a friend to propose to become a 
member of this Order f 

1. Propositions received and read. 

2. Propositions accepted, if correct, and Committees appointed, 
and endorsed thereon. 

VII. Unfinished Business appearing on the Minutes, 
to be attended to. 

1. Reports of Standing Committees received and acted upon. 

2. Reports of Special Committees, also. 

3. Other unfinished business, in order. 



188 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



VIII. Has any brother any thing to offer for the good 
of the Order f 

1. Communications from the Grand Lodge, from Dist. Grand Com- 
mittees, from the Dist. D. Grand Master, from other Lodges, and 
miscellaneous, in the order here named. 

2. New business, applications for degrees, cards, &c. 

3. Permanent Secretary's Report of the receipts since previous 
meeting, which must be entered on the Minutes. 

IX. Closing the Lodge. 

N. B. — Allow sufficient time for any excitement to subside, officers 
to complete business pn hand, &c, before closing, that all things 
may be " done decently and in order." 

The above order of business should be adhered to at 
all stated meetings. If circumstances require an early 
attention to some item coming late in order — say, the 
Report of a Committee — it can be reached thus : — As 
the N. G. announces each item in order, a motion is 
made and carried to lay it on the table until after the 
Report. Thus each item is passed until you reach 
"unfinished business," when the Report is received and 
acted on. Then the items "laid on the table" are in 
order, and are taken up regularly as before, and com- 
pleted. 

It will be seen that our duties to the sick, the dis- 
tressed, the widow, and the orphan, are especially 
considered at every Lodge meeting, and (if need be) 
provided for during the ensuing week. 

While all business, debates, &c. should be conducted 
in a strictly parliamentary manner, care should be taken 
not to render the intercourse of the brethren cold and 
formal. Respect and courtesy to all, mingled with 
that deference to motives, if not opinions, which fra- 
ternal love inspires, should never be forgotten in the 



OF THE SUBORDINATE LODGE. 189 



Lodge. But if forgotten by the speakers, the proper 
officer should promptly and firmly, yet gently remind 
them of their temporary aberration. Those personali- 
ties and sarcasms which many mistake for wit and 
humor, but which ruffle the temper, wound the feelings, 
and excite ill-will among brethren, are as entirely out 
of place in a Lodge-room as in a Church. But plea 
santry, real wit and humor, without a sting, are com- 
mendable when time allows and the subject invites 
their indulgence. 

But when serious things and solemn rites are before 
the Lodge, especially during initiation and while con- 
ferring degrees, every thing like levity and jesting 
should be promptly repressed, and, if need be, rebuked 
or punished. 

By properly and earnestly performing the work of a 
Lodge, every member and officer has his work as an 
Odd-Fellow duly laid out, prepared and furnished, that 
he may carry forward and complete it during the week. 
If he does his duty out of the Lodge as prescribed 
within it, he will be made a wiser, better, and happier 
man; the brethren will be edified and stimulated to 
good works, and the Lodge will become a powerful 
agent, in God's providence, for promoting among men 
the manifold blessings of Friendship, Love, and Truth. 

§ 9. Closing the Lodge. 

Appropriate to the opening and working of a Lodge, 
is the impressive ceremonial of closing the same. 

The business of the evening having been transacted, 
the Vice-Grand, Officers, and brethren are requested 
to place themselves in proper position to aid the desig- 
nated officer who is to close the Lodge. The desire of 



190 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



the N. G. being formally declared, the Lodge is pre- 
pared for closing, and an appropriate Ode is sung. 

The particular duties of each officer at closing are 
then rehearsed, and should be attentively listened to, 
id order that none may be delinquent for want of know- 
ledge, or be held accountable for neglect of duties not 
pertaining to his charge. Members are commended for 
their attention to the business of the evening, and bro- 
thers thanked for their presence, and all are invited to 
attend on any future evening. Arrangements are made 
for collecting the regalia and implements of the Lodge, 
inspecting their condition, and placing them in their 
depositories. And finally, the brother in charge of the 
entrance prepares the way for the departure of the 
brethren. 

Thus admonished and prepared, in some jurisdictions, 
the Lodge unites with a Chaplain in the following 

Closing Prayer. — Almighty Father ! dismiss us, we 
implore thee, with thy blessing. Let all we have done 
upon this occasion, meet acceptance and favor in thy 
sight ; and may we still continue, through thy aid and 
assistance, to increase the usefulness of our institution 
to ourselves and to all mankind. Amen.* 



* The following is the form that was formerly used in New York, 
and yet is, in at least some Lodges : — 

Closing Prayer. — We bless thee, Lord, that we have been per- 
mitted to enjoy this, another Lodge-meeting. Pardon what thou 
hast seen amiss in us : and now, as we are about to separate, may 
thy blessing be with us, and with all our brethren throughout the 
globe. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social 
virtue adorn our lives, while members of this Lodge below ; and at 
last may we be admitted to the joys of a better world: and thine 
be the power and glory, forever and ever. Amen. 



OP THE Pt T BORt>INArE LODGE. 191 



After the prayer, the Lodge is declared duly closed, 
the time of the next meeting is proclaimed, and the 
brethren separate, as brethren of one family always 
should depart from any assemblage, IN peace. 

We close this section with the earnest admonition of 
Past D. G. Sire, Albert Case : — 

k Brethren, may it never be said by the uninitiated, 
that we are deficient in those practical characteristics 
of the Order, which, when truly and systematically 
adhered to, cannot fail to distinguish us above those 
who refuse to knock at the door of our temple, and 
gain a knowledge of our mysteries. Let us not forget 
that, while we cultivate the perfection of our fraternal 
duties, we shall improve in the knowledge of Deity, of 
our duty to Him, to our neighbor, and to ourselves : 
Friendship will bin d,- us "together, Truth will direct us, 
and Love will make our labors easy; so that, at the 
last, when we are summoned from the terrestrial Lodges 
to the Grand Lodge Celestial, we may leave form and 
ceremony behind, find our work approved, and, as the 
mysteries of Heaven are unveiled to our admiring vision, 
we may arrive at its perfection, and enjoy its benefits 
throughout ages eternal." Even so may it be ! Amen. 

§ 10. Work out of Lodge. 

Closing the Lodge does by no means suspend the 
work of its officers and members. Proper provision 
having been" made and instructions given, in the Lodge, 
the Committees are now to pursue their labors : the sick 
are to be systematically and kindly visited, the dis- 
tressed are to be relieved, the widows and orphans to be 
attended to, and the needy and suffering to be searched 
out preparatory to being reported at the next meeting. 



192 THE ODD-FELLOW'S manual. 



The principles of good- will and brotherly love are to be 
carried out in social and domestic intercourse, outside 
the walls of the Lodge-room. The world itself is one 
vast Lodge of brethren, and the lessons acquired in the 
weekly meeting of the few, should be reduced to daily, 
constant practice among the many. And especially is 
that temple, the body, which is the residence of the 
Holy Spirit, to be further enlightened and purified, and 
rendered the abiding-place of Friendship, Love, and 
Truth. 

To prepare the Odd-Fellow for these daily duties and 
privileges of life, and to direct him in their proper per- 
formance and use, is the great end and aim of the 
weekly meeting in the Lodge-room. The work of the 
Lodge being but a school to exercise him in his proper 
work of Odd-Fellowship in his own heart, in his family, 
and in the world at large. The tokens and emblems of 
the one are designed to direct his mind to the sun, the 
moon, the stars, the light-woven bow on the cloud, the 
open hand, and all the other visible and invisible ob- 
jects in the other, which speak of God's goodness, and 
man's duties, and nature's blessedness, and make them 
incitements to the pursuit of knowledge and virtue. 

Careless, indolent, or ill-instructed, therefore, must 
he be, who rests satisfied with a mere attendance on 
Lodge-meetings, and whose mind and heart reach not 
beyond the mere routine of its workings, the letter of 
its lectures and charges, or the outward appearance of 
its forms, emblems, and allegorized representations. 
The true Odd-Fellow, using these but as aD outline 
map, will study them that he may fill up their vacancies, 
understanding!? mark out his journey in the world, and 
pursue his life-pilgrimage, knowing whence he cometh, 
whither he goeth, and what he doeth. 



DUTIES AND DEPORTMENT OF ODD-FELLOWS. [93 



CHAPTER VIII. 

DUTIES AND DEPORTMENT OF ODD-FELLOWS. 

Each member, whatever be his rank or station in the 
Order, has certain duties to perform and obligations to 
discharge by virtue, simply, of his membership, as an 
Odd-Fellow. These exist and surround him in every 
situation and condition in which he may be placed in 
life, public and private, in the Lodge and in the bosom 
of his family. He is an Odd-Fellow, first, middle, and 
last: an Odd-Felloe always, whether a Grand Master 
or a mere initiate, wherever and whatever he may be. 

And in consequence of these acknowledged duties 
and obligations, we claim the privilege of observing the 
conduct of all our brethren, as well out of the Lodge as 
in it, for brotherly approval, advice, admonition, or 
correction. A few special remarks, then, on those 
duties which eac^i member of our Order owes, as an 
individual Odd-Fellow, seem appropriate in this place. 



§ 1. Lodge Attendance. 

Some members are very faithful in Lodge attendance 
until they have "passed the Chairs," or until they find 
they cannot succeed in doing so, and then their zeal 
suddenly cools down, and they seldom attend, except to 
pay their dues, and even these they sometimes send in 
by a neighbor ! Be not one of these. And never vote 
for, or aid in any way to elevate to the honors of the 
17 xN T 



194 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



Order, any brother whom you have good reason to 
believe one of this class. They love not the principles 
— their hearts are not in the works of Odd-Fellowship. 
Tt is time that those who unite with us, not because 
they love to do good, but for « the loaves and the 
fishes," should learn that they have mistaken their aim. 
that we prefer to honor, above all others, the workers in 
our ranks, the lovers of our principles. 

P. G.M. A.E. Glenn, Editor of" The Ark," Columbus, 
0., speaks very plainly to those who, from any light 
cause, have allowed their zeal to cool down into ab- 
senteeism : — 

" Tell us why you neglect the Lodge ? Where are 
you on the evenings of our meetings ? What has hap- 
pened to wean you away from the Hall, where, in other 
days, you were always present ? Are you tired of Odd- 
Fellowship ? When you were sick, and in distress, 
were you neglected ? When you needed watchers, did 
you not have them ? When you were entitled to bene- 
fits, were they not paid you? If you have been neglected 
in any manner, have you made complaint, and has no 
remedy been applied ? If so, then we must acknowledge 
you have had some cause for absenting yourself fri m 
the Lodge. But we think few cases of neglect, such as 
we have mentioned, have ever occurred. We do not 
know of one ; and consequently there must be other 
reasons for being absent from the Lodge. We hope 
and trust brothers have not found other places, apart 
from their families, where they can spend their evenings 
more agreeably than among their brothers in the Lodge- 
room. We would not insinuate such a thing ; but we 
know there are many who never come to the Lodge, 
that could do so as well as not, and who should attend." 

The same writer also properly adds — " What is more 



DUTIES AND DEPORTMENT OF ODD-FELLOWS. 195 



discouraging to those who always attend, upon whom 
mainly depends the Lodge business, than to see a thin 
attendance ? It would oftentimes seem as though but 
few had any regard for the Order ; and yet, those who 
do not attend are generally the first to complain if 
they are neglected in sickness, or fail to receive benefits 
when entitled to receive them. 

"The sociability which should always exist among 
Odd-Fellows, and particularly between members of the 
same Lodge, cannot exist if they do not meet once a 
week in the Lodge-room. These meetings make us 
more familiar, we know each other better, and are 
more sociable and friendly. When one is summoned to 
watch with a sick brother, and he goes to the house of 
one he has not met in the Lodge for a year, does he feel 
like watching with a brother ? Does the sick brother 
feel as though Odd-Fellows were with him ? Certainly 
not to the degree he would, if they had met weekly in 
the Lodge-room." 

P. D. G. Sire, Albert Case, while editor of « The 
Covenant," also urged to the same purpose: "There 
are many reasons to be urged in favor of a general 
attendance on the meetings of the Lodge. Our Lodges 
are deliberative assemblies, and the business they transact 
is, I apprehend, of more importance than many of the 
members imagine. The reception of members, the dis- 
position of the funds, and all the immediate and direct 
operations of the institution, is the work of the Subordi- 
nate Lodges. The entire character, standing, and suc- 
cess of the Order, depend, in a great degree, on the 
manner in which the business of these Lodges is con- 
ducted. 

"If the meetings of subordinate Lodges are neglected 
by the members, the business may be transacted in a 



196 the odd-fellow's manual. 



careless, loose, and injudicious, if not in an unlawful 
manner. In such an event, negligence will be apt to 
mark all its operations, the inevitable consequence of 
which must be, that, from want of suitable attention to 
the qualifications of candidates, bad men will obtain 
admittance, the funds will be squandered or misapplied 
to improper purposes, and the Lodge ultimately ruined, 
and an injury inflicted upon the character and interests 
of the institution generally. Therefore it is the duty of 
every member to attend the meetings of his Lodge as 
often as circumstances will admit. He should not ne- 
glect them for any trifling cause. The interests of the 
institution and his Lodge, which it is his duty to watch 
over, and labor to promote, and to guard against abuse, 
demand it." His own interests, in case of sickness, 
travel, and distress ; and the interests of his family, in 
case of his decease, demand it. 

§ 2. Payment of Dues. 

Even heaven-born benevolence must have material 
means by which to operate in this world. Hence 
another important duty of each member is, the prompt 
payment of his dues. He owes it not only to himself 
and family, but to the Order. John Randolph professed 
to have found that the philosopher's stone consisted 
simply in these four words — u Pay as you go." But an 
Odd-Fellow will more surely find it in the three words— 
"Pay in advance." There are few old members of the 
Order who cannot relate some case of peculiar hardship 
caused by non-payment of dues. Some good, but care- 
less brother, who neglected this small item of duty until 
he was suddenly called out of this life, was found to be 
not beneficial, and his widow and orphans, when most 



DUTIES AND DEPORTMENT OF ODD-FELLOWS. 197 



in need, were left destitute of all legal claims on the 
funds he had for years been aiding to accumulate. 
Such cases, too frequently occurring in our Lodges and 
Encampments, may be yours. Let every member, then, 
be careful to keep himself " good on the books." And 
as the surest mode of providing against occasional 
scarcity of cash, or sudden and long absences from 
home, see that you are always in advance of the claims. 
Let a memorandum be kept in some book or place where 
it will be seen frequently, not only by yourself, but by 
your wife or other interested person, lest you may forget 
it and fall behind the times. Better even pay for six 
months ahead, at the commencement of a term, than 
fall in debt to your Lodge or Encampment. But, at all 
events, be sure to "pay in advance." 

§ 3. Conduct in Debate. 

Exercise yourself in the discussions of your Lodge ; 
not for the purpose of mere debate, contention, or "love 
of opposition," but to improve yourself in suitably ex- 
pressing your sentiments, and to render yourself useful 
to the Order. For this purpose, make yourself well 
acquainted with the rules of order and debate, that you 
may not violate them. Note what is peculiarly easy 
and correct in the style and manner of others, that you 
may engraft it on your own. Study well each subject 
you intend to discuss, in all its bearings and tendencies, 
that you may have a well digested opinion of your own 
to express. Avoid every appearance of disrespect for 
the opinions and motives of others, and strive, not 
merely to repeat what others have said as well, before 
you, but to shed new light upon the question. And 
clothing your ideas in few words, fit and expressive, de- 
17* 



198 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



liver them m a clear tone, in a calm but impressive 
manner, and then take your seat. A wordy, windy 
speaker, or one who « tears a passion to tatters, to very 
rags," every time he rises, as well as one who is always 
" bobbing up and down" to sputter out his ideas, is sure 
soon to lose all respect and influence, if, indeed, he does 
not so vex the Lodge as to induce it to vote down nearly 
every measure he advocates ! 

Do not, then, suffer your temper to be ruffled by any 
opposition, or misrepresentation even. If the latter is 
plausible, and seems likely to mislead others, a calm, 
plain correction will put all right again. If it is forced, 
and evidently made to gain a point, depend on it, the 
good sense of your brethren will perceive it as clearly 
as yourself, and rebuke it more effectually than you 
could do. Be sure to be always "in order." 

§ 4. Gentlemanly Conduct. 

The world once thought, as a few seem yet to sup- 
pose, that to be an Odd-Fellow, a man must be " a jolly, 
roystering blade," full of quirps and jests, ready to 
crack his joke, or sing his song, or play off some rude 
trick on a stranger, or engage in a drinking bout or 
gormandizing feast. And though a very few among us 
may furnish some faint shadow for such an opinion, how 
widely different is the requirement of every part and 
portion of all our lectures and charges ! Odd-Fellows 
should all and always be gentlemen. And by this term 
we mean precisely what the word itself means — mer, of 
kind, gentle, affectionate hearts ; conjoined, if possible, 
with refined tastes and cultivated minds, with courteous 
speech and easy manners. But let the mental qualifica- 
tions and outward appearance be what they may, the 



DUTIES A.ND DEPORTMENT OF ODD-FELLOWS. 199 

heart must be right. That right, and the man will be a 
gentleman — one of nature's making. 

Honesty — that primal qualification, without which no 
man can be an Odd-Fellow — absolutely requires that 
brethren whose mottoes are "In God we trust," and, 
" Friendship, Love, and Truth," and whose work is 
" the diffusion of the principles of benevolence and 
charity," should, in all their intercourse with the world 
and each other, (and especially in the Lodge,) illustrate 
those mottoes and diffuse those principles by a living 
example. And whoso does this, is a gentleman, belongs 
to the highest style of man. We care not what may be 
his descent, his occupation in life, (provided it be honest,) 
his personal appearance, or his dress : true gentility re- 
sides not in these fortuitous, factitious, or external cir- 
cumstances, but in the heart of the man. And hence 
every true Odd-Fellow — he who is friendly, truthful, 
sympathizing and benevolent in soul, is, and will be 
always, a gentleman. 

Cheerful, or mirthful even, he may be in all proper 
times and places ; but he will not jest with sacred 
things, nor treat the solemnities of our mysteries with 
a levity unbecoming one who understands their mean- 
ing and importance : least of all will he indulge in 
rudeness of speech or vulgarity of action on any occasion 
requiring decency of conduct and seriousness of mind. 

§ o. Correctness in Working. 

We have treated elsewhere of the importance of re 
membering what is called the written and unwritten 
work of the Order, but its utility induces a few addi- 
tional remarks in this place. 

The ideas as well as language employed in the initia- 



200 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



tor j ceremony, and in the lectures on the degrees, are 
beautiful and instructive enough to pay for the labor of 
carefully stowing them away in the memory. But where 
the verbal memory is not very good, the sentiments 
themselves, in their regular order, should be thus 
treasured up. Many an hour of meditation may be 
profitably occupied in considering their teachings. 

And especially should the working language of every 
Lodge-night be committed to memory by every brother 
aspiring to bear an office or pass the Chairs of his 
Lodge. The recitals of each officer are brief, and in 
familiar language, and may be readily committed in 
turn by any one who will give attention to them. The 
practice of using the book is a clumsy and embarrassing 
one ; one that greatly impairs the intended effect of the 
work of each evening and of initiation ; and one, too, 
which all State Grand Bodies should utterly abolish and 
forbid, as a few have already done. 

When we consider our unwritten work, however, that 
it is the universal language by which alone we may 
know, or be known by, a brother of whatever nation or 
language, and give or receive aid without fear of impo- 
sition, its correctness becomes a matter of very great 
importance. Our former illustration of a common vault 
and lock, with separate keys for each owner, is an ap- 
propriate one. Look at those keys. They are precisely 
alike; each slit and curve in any one is found in all the 
rest ; and each finds a corresponding projection or in- 
dentation in the lock to answer to it. The lock of the 
treasure-vault is unalterable ; but the keys may be 
altered if their owners please. Suppose several of 
these proprietors (considering these slits and curves to 
be " mere trifles") alter their keys to suit the fancy of 
each. What is the consequence ? Needing some of 



DUTIES AND DEPORTMENT OF ODD-FELLOWS. 201 



the treasure in the vault, they apply, their keys to the 
lock, but they will no longer fit and open it. Having 
no other proof of part-ownership, they must lose their 
share of the treasure, unless they can alter their keys 
back again to the original pattern. So with our un- 
written work, and the immense moral, social, and pecu- 
niary treasures of the Order of which that work is the 
key. Let no one presume to alter it, to suit an idle 
fancy, or neglect to render himself perfect in its use. 
Obtain the correct mode of performing it, from the 
proper sources, and then impress it strongly on your 
memory, that you may retain it. 

§ 6. Voting and Balloting. 

As the laws and acts of our Lodges are designed to 
be an expression of the will of the members, it becomes 
the duty of every member to vote when required, on any 
subject of interest or importance to his brethren or the 
Lodge. But especially is this the case in the admission 
of new members. Here each vote counts, and the omis- 
sion of a single negative may work great injury to a 
Lodge and the Order. The responsibility of each 
member is therefore increased, just in proportion to the 
power vested in him to prevent the evil. Now, while 
some of our brethren are too ready and willing to use 
the black ball, there are others — far too many, who 
shrink from using it under almost any circumstances, as 
if it were a base instrument. And not a few others, 
irritated by an occasional wrong use of the secret nega- 
tive, would abolish it altogether, and require every 
brother to state his objections in the open Lodge. Let 
us, therefore, consider the uses and abuses of our ballot. 

The secret ballot was instituted to afford the utmost 



202 the odd-fellow's manual. 



freedom in expressing the individual will. By it, the 
most timid is enabled to give his assent or dissent to 
the placing of every stone in the great Temple of our 
Fraternity, unawed by the wealthy or influential brother 
at his side; fearless of the betrayal of his vote to the 
candidate by any weak brother who may happen to be 
in the Lodge ; secure from the knowledge of the can- 
didate, even should he afterward be admitted to mem- 
bership. Thus the absolute freedom of choice is secured, 
as fully and perfectly as human wisdom can contrive 
means to do so. And, surely, in a brotherhood so 
closely united, the fullest freedom in rejecting proposed 
associates should not only be allowed, but insisted on. 
And every brother who will rightly consider the subject, 
will perceive that it is his duty not only to maintain 
that right for others, but to exercise it himself. 

True, it may be, and sometimes is abused. But this 
only calls more loudly for its right use and careful 
preservation in its greatest purity. And for this pur- 
pose, our laws providing against the indulgence of 
personal pique, or party or sectarian prejudices, should 
be rigidly enforced against all offenders. Nor only 
this, but every brother should, by unvarying precept 
and example, enforce the right use of the ballot, by 
carefully abstaining from any wrong use of it in his 
own case. 

If a candidate is proposed, with whom, unfortunately, 
we have had a collision in business, in politics, in 
religion, or in social intercourse, we should at once 
institute a rigid scrutiny of our opinions and feelings 
concerning him. The circumstances which led to that 
collision should be inquired into anew. Our own doings, 
and sayings, and deportment, during it, should be passed 
in careful review. If this still leaves us averse to him, 



DUTIES AND DEPORTMENT OF ODD-FELLOWS. 203 



we should inquire concerning his principles and disposi- 
tion, of his most intimate friends. If these are good — 
if no other act than that collision testifies against him, 
we may be sure that we rest under some mistake or 
misunderstanding which a friendly interview would 
remove. Seek him, then, and an enemy may be lost 
and a friend gained, in whose favor we may conscien- 
tiously vote. A worthy brother once observed, "If 
the difficulty is only between the candidate and myself, 
I always vote for him; because I know that if he will 
only come into our Lodge, and heed the principles of 
the Order, we shall soon be friends again." He under- 
stood the uses and tendencies of our Order. 

But if, after all efforts, you are compelled to consider 
a candidate deficient in moral or social qualities, your 
duty is clear, is imperative — cast the black ball. If, 
in safety to yourself, you can forewarn his friends of 
your intention and the reasons therefor, do so, that he 
may be duly admonished, and, if possible, reformed. 

Many brethren, not considering all the doubts and 
motives which may induce a brother to cast a black 
ball, nor all the meanings that ball is therefore intended 
to express, have come to consider this small but powerful 
weapon of an Odd-Fellow's will as having only an evil 
meaning. This is a great and injurious error. It 
expresses not only a sense of condemnation, but of 
doubt or indecision. It may imply that the voter knows 
the candidate to be unworthy, but it may also mean 
that he lacks evidence to satisfy him that he is worthy. 
Black-balling a candidate, then, is not "branding him 
as a bad man," as some brethren suppose, and who 
therefore refrain from using it in cases of mere doubt, 
to the great injury of the Order. 

In most cases of doubt, or want of sufficient evidence, 



204 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



ask a postponement of the ballot, giving th€ reasons, 
that information may be furnished, and that you may 
vote understandingly and decidedly. 

Remember, then, that the secrecy of the ballot must 
be maintained in its purity. Resist every attempt to 
impair or lessen its security ; above all, to abolish it. 
Let no abuse of it ever induce you to deprive the Order 
of this safeguard to a free expression of the will of each 
member. If a man is not positively known to be 
worthy of admission, let no motives of false delicacy, 
or fear of giving offence, induce you to refrain from 
casting a black ball. But in casting it, be careful to 
avoid even the appearance of mere personal, party, 
sectional, or sectarian motives. And be vigilant in 
preventing any abuse of it by others. However disa- 
greeable and painful the duty, see that our laws in this 
respect are faithfully obeyed by others as well as your- 
self. 

§ 7. Duties to Self and Family. 

The love of self is made, by Christianity, the measure 
of love for our neighbor, not forgetting that « our 
neighbor is the suffering man, though at the farthest 
pole." We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, not 
better than ourselves. While we do unto others as we 
would have them do unto us, we must also remember 
that "he who provideth not for his own, and especially 
for those of his own household, hath denied the faith, 
and is worse than an infidel." Odd-Fellowship in its 
teachings is perfectly accordant with this instruction. 
Its groat, first qualification, Honesty, covers the entire 
ground of all man's relations and connections in life. 
No man can be a good Odd-Fellow, who neglects his 



DUTIES AND DEPORTMENT OF ODD-FELLOWS. 205 



business, suffers his affairs to become embarrassed, pro- 
vides not well and truly for his family, leaves his duties 
rest with added care on his wife and children, " to 
attend to Odd-Fellowship." Attend to Odd-Fellowship ! 
Mistaken man: in that very neglect he is neglecting 
our Order. He is providing trouble for his brethren in 
the accumulation of troubles for himself and family. 
He is imbittering the minds of that family, and arraying 
its influence and the influence of its friends, against the 
Lodge. He is bringing reproach on himself and on us ; 
for we are likely to be censured as the cause of his 
neglect, and his seducers from duty. 

There are special occasions enough, when duty to the 
Order, or to its sick and distressed members and fami- 
lies, calls our members from their domestic affairs, 
without making ordinary occasions an excuse for wast- 
ing whole days and half nights in mere talking, loitering, 
and idleness, under pretence of " attending to the duties 
of the Order." Two, or at most three evenings a week, 
to attend subordinate and Degree Lodge, and Encamp- 
ment, are usually sufficient. And if these be rightly 
improved, your family will willingly submit to your 
absence on the few special calls that occur in the course 
of each year. Only be faithful and attentive to your 
home duties, and you will find no difficulty in gaining 
their hearty assent to your attention to Lodge and 
Encampment duties. 

So in the other relations of life. Odd-Fellowship 
requires of her members attention to them all, public 
and private. It is the mark of a narrow soul or an ill- 
regulated mind, to become absorbed in one set of duties 
and relations, to the abandonment or partial neglect of 
the rest. And it is a sad mistake to spend the precious 
moments waiting to perform some great deed of good* 
18 



206 THE ODD -FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



when every hour may witness some small kindness 
shown, some little utility performed. For, after all, 
life is made up, not of great necessities and wants, not 
of great acts and performances, but of numerous small 
ones. Each passing hour bears on its wings some call 
for duty to self and others. Do that, hour by hour, 
and your whole life will be one of utility and blessed- 
ness. It were as absurd to ask to live your life by 
years at a time, instead of moments in succession, as to 
dream of performing your duty in great deeds alone, 
to the utter neglect of the small but constantly recur- 
ring kindnesses to your family, your friends, and com- 
munity around you. Be an Odd-Fellow, then, always 
and everywhere ; in your closet, at your fireside, in the 
social circle, at the festal board, in the abode of poverty 
or house of mourning, at the public gathering, and in 
the Lodge-room, remember and live the teachings of 
Odd-Fellowship, that you may be a blessing and a 
praise to it and to the world. 



CHAPTER IX. 

OF COMMITTEE-MEN AND COMMITTEES. 

In large Lodges, or those whose situation and cir- 
cumstances create a large amount of business, special 
meetings and long sessions may generally be avoided 
by intrusting the arrangement and consideration of 
matters requiring much time and labor, to well-chosen 
Committees. But men who are careless in attendance, 
or indolent in working, or deficient in patience or judg- 



OF COMMITTEE-MEN AND COMMITTEES. 207 



ment, should never be placed on such Committees, or, 
indeed, on any Committees ; or if placed there, should 
be compelled to perform the duties assigned them by a 
rigid enforcement of the laws. 

§ 1. General Duties of Committees. 

The first-named member of a Committee is the Chair- 
man thereof until the Committee meets and chooses its 
Chairman in due form. As a false delicacy frequently 
prevents any movement to elect a Chairman, care should 
be taken to place the most active and best qualified 
brother at the head of each Committee. But as this 
cannot always be done, any error in the appointment 
may easily be remedied by the person appointed. 

Thus, if appointed on a Committee for which you are 
sure you are not qualified, and cannot qualify yourself, 
or whose meetings you cannot attend, at once respect- 
fully decline serving, frankly stating the reasons, that 
another better qualified or prepared may be appointed 
in your stead. Never accept an office of any kind 
which you feel confident you cannot render yourself 
competent to fill, or to whose duties you cannot attend. 

If appointed, and induced to accept, resolve to attend 
to it as if you alone were the Committee. Fix a time 
and place for the meeting, with consent of the other 
members, and notify the absent ones accordingly. Be 
there yourself precisely at or before the minute ap- 
pointed. If others are negligent in such promptness, 
impress upon their minds the importance of punctuality, 
even if it lias to be done, as a last resort, by reporting 
their neglect to the Lodge. No man has a right, social 
or moral, to waste the precious time of others by keep- 
ing them waiting on his tardy movements. Even fifteen 



208 THE ODD-FFT.LOW'S MANUAL. 

minutes thus lost would make an aggregate of one hour 
where four brethren are concerned in it. 

If you are the first named of the Committee, as soon 
as the first meeting assembles, require them to elect a 
Chairman, on the ground that every body of men has a 
right to choose its own officers. This done, urge the 
entire attention of the Committee to the business in 
hand, until all is accomplished that can be, at that 
sitting ; until, if possible, the whole affair is thoroughly 
investigated, and the full report is understandingly 
agreed to and signed. « Business first, pleasure after- 
ward." It is wrong to spend time in chit-chat, or idle 
discussions, to the delay of business. It only confuses 
the mind, and often keeps brethren from other engage- 
ments, or their families, and leads them to feel careless 
about attending thereafter, when such waste of time is 
the consequence. Postpone, therefore, every thing till 
after the main object of your meeting has received 
proper attention. 

Some Committees are so important, and their duties 
so regularly recurring, as to require more than the 
above general remarks. We give them, therefore, 
special directions. Their number and their names vary 
in different Lodges, but the following subjects embrace 
them all : — 1st. Investigation of applications for mem- 
bership. 2d. Examination of articles furnished and 
bills presented. 3d. Examination of the accounts of 
the Treasurer and Secretary at the close of each term 
or quarter. 4th. Disposal and management of the 
funds, loans, bonds, &c. held by the Lodge. 5th. Su- 
pervision of the regalia, furniture, fixtures, and other 
properties of the Lodge. 6th. Trial of members 
charged with offences. 7th. Relief of disabled mem- 
bers and distressed brethren. In some Lodges the 2d 



OF COMMITTEE-MEN AND COMMITTEES. 209 



and 3d are performed by the same Committee ; a ad m 
others the 3d, 4th, and 5th are discharged by the 
Trustees of the Lodge. The interested reader will ex- 
amine accordingly, under those several sections. 

§ 2. Investigating Committee. 

There is no Committee more important than this, 
especially in new Lodges, where there is a strong desire 
to increase the membership rapidly ; or in large towns 
and cities, where men are not personally so well known 
to each other, and where, therefore, the Lodge must 
rely wholly on the report made to it respecting a can- 
didate. If this Committee is careless in the performance 
of its duty, or lax in its standard of social and moral 
qualifications, in but a single instance, a grievous if not 
irreparable injury may be inflicted on many brethren, 
on the Lodge, and on the Order. Years may elapse 
before the evil can be arrested ; certainly before its 
consequences can be repaired. 

Even a man esteemed to sustain a good moral cha- 
racter, may be socially such that his admission will be 
worse than that of an outright bad man. The latter 
would be ejected at once, easily and lawfully ; but the 
former may foment disturbances and strifes, and get up 
factions and divisions, and introduce annoyances in the 
shape of unpleasant words and looks, so cunningly, that 
charges and specifications cannot easily be preferred, 
or conviction procured ; and yet a nest of wasps would 
be scarcely a less evil in the Lodge each night, than all 
would at last acknowledge him to be. But before such 
unanimity can be produced, the injured, the peaceably 
disposed and the honorable will have left, disgusted and 
grieved, and the Lodge is not only weakened, but its 
18* 



210 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



character almost ruined in public estimation. And all 
this, merely because an Investigating Committee was in 
an easy humor, or too indolent or careless to make the 
necessary inquiry. 

Therefore we say, let no man be placed on that Com- 
mittee as a mere compliment. Select active, resolute 
men, who understand the duty, and will perform it 
faithfully ; men of good moral and social character, 
and who will require the same in others. 

And let every member of such a Committee feel re- 
sponsible, as if he were the Committee ; as if the entire 
character, funds and welfare of the Lodge rested on his 
decision. Let him, in making inquiry, insist on having 
sufficient time to write abroad, if the candidate is not an 
old resident. Demand at least as careful inquiry as you 
would concerning an individual to whom you are about 
to lend a large sum of money. Reflect that our Lodge 
is our family, and that admission into it, frequently, 
almost necessarily, admits into our domestic circles also. 

Now, what characters are we willing to receive into 
the intimacy of a fraternal intercourse with ourselves, 
our wives, brothers, sisters, sons or daughters? Does 
this question go too far ? Consider a few consequences 
of admission into our Order. 

1st. If laid on the bed of sickness, the candidate (if 
become a member) may be the visitor to call on you 
freely, mingle with your family, and impart to them the 
benefits allowed by your Lodge. Is he such a one as 
you would allow in this intimacy when you are, perhaps, 
unconscious of his doings, and at all events unable 
closely to observe his conduct? Is he a man of princi- 
ple, of honor, of goodness of heart ? If not, why report 
in his favor ? 

2d. When you are sick or dying, he, if a member, 



OF COMMITTEE-MEN AND COMMITTEES. 211 



may be detailed to sit at your bedside during the silent 
watches of the night. He will mingle with your loved 
ones when they most need sympathy and support, and 
when this want will render them most open and con- 
fiding. He will administer the medicines on which your 
life depends, when your family sleep under the double 
influence of deep grief and great weariness, and he is 
required to attend you with all a nurse's prudence and 
a brother's tenderness. And should death invade the 
citadel of life, he will be amid your mourning family; 
perhaps at midnight ; their aider, consoler, and friend. 
Is he the man of kindly feelings and purity of life to be 
thus deeply, confidingly trusted in the craving want of 
sympathy, in the unguarded hours of mourning agony ? 
If not, how can you, in justice to your own and your 
brethren's families, refrain from doing your utmost to 
keep him out of your Lodge ? 

3d. When your mortal life has been dissolved by the 
chemistry of death, your widow and orphans may become 
the charge of your " brethren of the mystic tie." Then 
the proposed candidate, if a member, may be brought 
into a peculiar nearness to them as an official guardian 
and adviser. These duties may pave the way to many 
opportunities to pervert the tender principles of youthful 
gratitude and confidence, and abuse the trust of the widow 
and her orphans. Though a majority of the Lodge guard 
carefully their interest in its funds, his injuries may reach 
deeper, far deeper than they can guard against. Has 
he, then, that humanity which will make him truly fra- 
ternal in watching over their interests and welfare? 
Will he often "visit the widow and the fatherless in 
their afflictions," and yet prevent his visits from being 
a blighting curse, by keeping " himself unspotted from 



212 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



the world ?" Can you answer positively in the affirma- 
tive ? If not, how can you report favorably ? 

The man of lax morals or loose principles ; the de- 
spiser of public opinion in matters of reputation; the 
slanderer and contemner of female virtue ; the man who 
readily infers evil of others, and is free to insinuate his 
surmises against reputation; the unfeeling, the selfish, 
the vindictive, the jealous, the avaricious, the mean 
in conduct, are unfit to be members in our living 
Temple sacred to Friendship, Love, and Truth. That 
some such are already within its walls, but adds to the 
earnestness of our entreaty, to bring in no more such to 
fill up the vacancies we are making among their number 
by suspensions and expulsions. 

But if satisfied, from an examination of the candi- 
date's life, and especially his conduct in his family or 
among his intimate associates, that, notwithstanding the 
frailties common to our nature, he is still a man of 
humanity and sound principle, and worthy a seat in 
"our family," report in his favor at once. The influ- 
ences of Odd-Fellowship cannot render such a one worse, 
but will certainly make him a better man. But if 
doubtful, merely doubtful, report it, and give the 
Lodge the benefit of your doubt. Rejection is but for 
a few months, not for all time. It does not decide that 
he is positively unworthy, but only that he is not known 
to be worthy. 

§ 3. Finance Committee, 

The members should be practical men, well acquainted 
with business in general, that they may judge correctly 
concerning charges made for work done or articles fur- 
nished, and therefore of the quality of workmanship, 



OF COMMITTEE-MEN AND COMMITTEES. 213 



materials, and goods. They should be in attendance at 
each Lodge meeting, and not only read each bill, and 
know that the work or articles were ordered, (of which 
the Recording Secretary can inform them,) but they 
should ascertain from the Committee or officer ordering 
the same, that the bill is correct ; and then examine the 
work or articles themselves, and see that they are what 
were ordered. At least a majority of the Committee 
should endorse the bill as correct, and the Secretary 
should not read it, nor the Lodge order it paid, without 
such endorsement. 

§ 4. Auditing Committee. 

The members of this Committee should be careful 
accountants and good bookkeepers. They should meet 
for their quarterly work at least before the first night 
of the new quarter. When assembled, the Permanent 
Secretary and the Treasurer should also be present to 
aid them in their investigation, and the Recording 
Secretary with his books, should also be on hand, with 
all bills, receipts, and other vouchers. If the books have 
been properly kept, and the vouchers regularly labelled 
and filed, the task will be comparatively easy and brief; 
and if they have not been, it is the Committee's duty to 
report the neglect and the delinquent to the Lodge. 
And in no case, and under no circumstances, not even 
with the most exact and scrupulous officers, should any 
pecuniary act be taken for granted, or any part of the 
examination be lightly or carelessly hurried through or 
passed over. No man is infallible ; none are exempted 
from occasional mistakes ; and the very portion thus 
slighted may contain the important error. 

Now for the mode which frequent experience has 



214 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



taught us is the best in which to conduct the examina- 
tion. 

The Chairman, the Permanent Secretary, the Re- 
cording Secretary, and the Treasurer, (each of whom 
has a Report to draw up,) will provide themselves with 
materials for taking notes of all such items as they may 
desire to embody in their Reports. Then, one of the 
company will take the Record Book and the bills and 
receipts ; a second, the Draft Book and cancelled drafts ; 
a third, the Treasurer's Book and his receipts to the. 
Permanent Secretary; a fourth, the Permanent Secre- 
tary's Blotter or Nightly Book, and a fifth, his Ledger. 
The whole can be gone through with, in the order here 
named, night by night, beginning with the last Quar- 
terly Reports and the first night's record of the quarter. 
Each, in turn, will find in his book, or vouchers, the 
items or amounts named, (if there,) and call them out, 
and check each with a pencil to note it as correct. If 
not correct, make it so, or, if doubtful, make a memo- 
randum of item, book, and page, for future reference. 
If every thing is correctly entered and properly vouched, 
then go through again, as before, to add up the amounts 
of each entry or page, and see that the footings are 
correct, and your work of auditing is completed. 

The Chairman, Secretaries, and Treasurer, having 
taken down the items for their Reports, can now pro- 
ceed to draw them off in due form for presentation to 
the Lodge. 

If the auditing is carefully performed, in the above- 
described method, it will not "need doing over again." 
Only remember that nothing is gained, but much time 
and labor may be lost, by being in a hurry; therefore 
"make haste slowly," and as you proceed, be sure of 
each item and of each, figure ; for every figure is &fact 



OF COMMITTEE-MEN AND COMMITTEES. 215 



§ 5. Trustees and Curators. 

In nearly all our Lodges, the duties of these two 
offices are vested in the Trustees alone ; we therefore 
treat of both in the same section. 

These officers should, at regular intervals — say, semi- 
annually — carefully inspect all the regalia, furniture, 
and other personal effects of the Lodge, noting their 
condition, putting them in good repair, and report their 
probable value to the Lodge, with suggestions for addi- 
tions, or their better preservation. To facilitate their 
labors, they should enter a list thereof in the Trustees' 
Book, (for every Lodge should insist on such a book 
being kept by its Trustees and Curators,) with the 
original cost of each article. And in the same book 
they should also enter this Report in full. 

The funds of the Lodge, whenever they accumulate 
in the Treasury to an amount greater than is necessary 
to meet the probable demands of the Lodge for current 
expenses, should be promptly and carefully invested by 
them, to the best advantage. They should ask the best 
security — the first bond and mortgage on real estate of 
double the value of the loan, if it can be procured — and 
at least ample security besides the mere credit of the 
borrower, however fair his reputation or ample his 
means. For as they will demand this of the poor bor- 
rower, who will find it difficult to procure security, fair 
dealing should lead them to require it of the tvealthy 
one, who can easily procure it. 

A regular statement of all such transactions, with the 
payments of interest, should be kept in the Trustees' 
Book, ready for immediate use, and the reference of 
the Lodge, and of the Auditing Committee 



216 THE OPD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



It is their duty, also, to consult the Lodge in regard 
to making all loans, or withdrawing them. They should 
collect all interest moneys as soon as they become due 
to tho Lodge. 

They should never be authorized to draw money, 
except from the Treasurer, by draft ordered by the 
Lodge ; and should be required to pay over promptly 
all moneys received by them for the Lodge, to the Per- 
manent Secretary, to be reported in his receipts to the 
Recording Secretary, and paid over to the Treasurer. 
This regular proceedure in money matters should never 
be departed from, lest confusion scarce to be remedied 
creep into the financial affairs of the Lodge. 

§ 6. Charges and Trials. 

Except for non-payment of dues, (in which case no 
trial is needed,*) no brother can be suspended or ex- 
pelled without opportunity afforded him for a fair trial. 
Nor can he be put on trial, unless charges specifying 
the particular acts of his offence be first submitted to 
the Lodge of which he is a member, by a brother of the 



* The ordinary operations of a Lodge for non-payment of dues, 
are — 1. When a member is in arrears for thirteen nights, he is de- 
prived of the right of visiting any Lodge except his own, (and that 
jnly by special permission of the N. G.,) by having the Term P. W. 
withheld from him. He is also declared not entitled to benefits ; 
though in no case would a donation be refused to him in case of 
need. 2. When he is twelve months in arrears, he is duly notified of 
the fact, if within reach of a notice ; and if payment be not made in 
proper season, he is reported to the Lodge, and declared by the 
X. G. to be suspended for non-payment of dues. The process of his 
restoration is prescribed by the Sovereign Grand Lodge, and gener- 
ally stated in the By-Laws of each Lodge. 



OF COMMITTEE-MEN AND COMMITTEES. 217 



Order. When such charges are presented, or a brother 
asks the mediation of the Lodge in regard to some 
fellow-member by whom he feels aggrieved, the Lodge 
refers the case to a special committee of five members, 
the peers of the accused. This Committee, whose 
duties are sometimes so arduous and painful, is one of 
the most difficult to instruct in their duties. A few 
very general directions and remarks are all we can 
pretend to offer them. 

1st. The charges should be brief, clearly expressed, 
and must embrace, besides the general charge, distinct 
specifications of the particular words or acts complained 
of, and the time when, and the place where committed ; 
and it would be well if there could be added the circum- 
stances which go to make up the intent or character of 
the offence. But if there be only a general, vague 
charge, without specification of the offence, the Com- 
mittee should return the charges to the Lodge, without 
further action. 

2d. If the charge or complaint is in due form, and 
the offence is not probably a heinous one, they will do 
well to examine the parties alone, separately, and see 
whether it may not be satisfactorily adjusted, without a 
formal trial. Not a few difficulties may thus be settled, 
alienated friends reconciled, and the peace and har- 
mony of the Lodge be preserved. In this case, they 
will report to the Lodge that the case has been settled 
to the mutual satisfaction of the parties, and ask to 
have themselves discharged from the further considera- 
tion thereof. 

3d. If a mutual adjustment cannot be effected, or if 

the case is one that should not be settled privately, a 

trial is inevitable. Good common sense directing a 

sincere desire to do justice in the love of salutary 

19 



218 THE ODD FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



mercy, is the best guide for the Committee. No spec- 
tators should be allowed in the room. In some States, 
we believe, even counsel for the parties are not allowed : 
the parties must plead and manage their own cause, 
The witnesses should be admitted one at a time, and 
examined fully, separate and apart from each other. 
The parties should not be allowed to prompt them, or 
interfere with or interrupt them in any way ; nor, when 
examining them, to put to them leading questions. 
Yet every opportunity should be afforded to either 
party (and especially to the accused) to elicit all the 
information necessary to a full and fair decision of the 
case. The "Digest of the Laws of the Order," pub- 
lished by the Grand Lodge of the United States,* directs 
that, "If a member of a Subordinate refuse to stand 
trial upon charges duly preferred, he cannot in his 
absence be tried, but may be expelled for contempt. 
If a member acknowledge his guilt upon charges pre- 
ferred, the penalty may be imposed without trial. 
Upon the trial no ex parte testimony is allowed — his 
wife cannot testify except to prove personal violence 
against her from him ; but all evidence tending to a 
fair investigation of his case may be admitted/' — Digest 
G. L. U. 8., various Sections. 

4th. Having fully examined the case, and taken 
down, carefully, minutes of the testimony, they will 
dismiss the parties, and consider it maturely, and make 
up their verdict. If, in the judgment of the Com- 
mittee, the accused is innocent, they will at once acquit 



* Every brother who designs being active in Lodge or Encamp- 
ment should be well acquainted with this Digest and that of his 
State G. L. and Gr. E. Each Lodge should place its copies of these 
where officers and momhori may study them. 



OF COMMITTEE-MEN AND COMMITTEES. 219 



him. If guilty, but not meriting suspension or ex- 
pulsion, their decision, whatever it may be, terminates 
the case, (unless either party appeals to the Lodge,) 
and they simply report their decision. But if an appeal 
is made to the Lodge, the whole case is opened by 
presentation of the minutes of testimony/and the state- 
ments of the parties, when, (if no want of formality or 
of fairness on the part of the Committee, be shown,) a 
vote of the Lodge determines the matter. If defect is 
pointed out in the proceedings of the Committee, the 
case may be referred back again, with instructions, or 
be given to a new Committee. 

The Committee are competent, also, to present the 
accuser for trial and punishment, if they believe he has 
been actuated by unworthy and improper motives in 
bringing charges which he was unable to prove. 

But if the case is one involving suspension or expul- 
sion, the Committee must report to the Lodge a reso- 
lution to that effect, along with their report of the trial. 
The Lodge will then appoint a time for considering the 
resolution, (fixed by the Constitution and By-Laws of 
the Lodge, and usually two weeks,) and notify the 
accused to be present. At that time, the resolution is 
acted upon, and the Lodge may vary the penalty at its 
pleasure. A vote of two-thirds of the members present 
is necessary to suspend or expel ; but a majority only 
is necessary on an appeal from a decision by the Com- 
mittee : that is, for a penalty less than suspension or 
expulsion. 

If a brother feel aggrieved by the decision of the 
Lodge, he can appeal to the Grand Lodge, or its Grand 
Master — -stating specifically wherein the%ules or forms 
of trial are believed to have been violated, or injus- 
tice done. A few additional remarks on the subject 



220 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



will be found under the head of District Grand Com- 
mittees and Appeal Committees. 

§ 7. Relief Committee. 

This Committee usually consists of the N. G., V.. G., 
and Recording Secretary of the Lodge ; but in some 
Lodges an addition is made to it of the Treasurer and 
three others, so as to have one member for each day of 
the week. In this case, the N. G. visits the sick or 
distressed brother the day after the Lodge-meeting, 
and leaves with his family the order drawn for benefits. 
The Treasurer visits him the day after this, and pays 
the order. The other members follow in succession, 
one each day. 

A few remarks on the manner of visiting the sick, 
may not be unnecessary here. This most important 
duty of our Order should never be neglected; but it 
should also be performed with due regard to the welfare 
of the sick brother, and the comfort of his family. 

1st. Ascertain the condition of the sick, and the 
propriety of visiting him at his bedside, either from the 
family, or, what is better, from his physician ; and 
govern yourself strictly by the directions of the latter 
in all subsequent calls. 

2d. Be gentle, easy, and noiseless as possible in your 
approach toward a very sick man, to whom you should 
be announced, before you enter the room, by some one 
of the family or his nurse. Be calm in appearance, 
speak in a moderate, smooth, and pleasant voice, (a 
whisper is more annoying to most persons than a loud 
voice,) ask bdft few questions, and be careful not to 
converse too much, or on trying subjects. When a 
patient is very weak, speaking and hearing are quite 



OF COMMITTEE-MEN AND COMMITTEES. 221 



fatiguing. From two to five minutes, in such ca3es, are 
Jong enough for an ordinary visit. 

3d. When the patient is recovering, and needs com- 
pany to cheer him up and occupy his time, give him 
due attention yourself, and induce those brethren to 
call upon him with whom he was particularly intimate, 
or to whom he felt great attachment. A wealthy bro- 
ther, of respectability and influence, can at such times 
show his sense of our principles by visiting his more 
humble brethren with whom he is well acquainted, and 
by leaving with them books and papers to occupy their 
time, or sending them such little delicacies as their 
varying and capricious appetites may crave. And the 
visits of the brethren generally will be acceptable, and 
should be paid. 

4th. In visiting widows and female orphans of the 
Lodge, greater circumspection generally is needed than 
in visiting those of our own sex. Let two of the Com- 
mittee, in such cases, visit in company, or one with the 
physician, or, better still, if married, or if you have 
near female relatives, induce one of the ladies to ac- 
company you ; or, best of all, organize a Visiting 
Committee of Daughters of Rebekah, to whom, in con- 
nection with their husbands, brothers, or sons, all save 
official visits might be confided. No man can equal 
woman's tenderness and tact in the sick-room, or with 
the distressed family, or the mourning group. 

Lastly. Time your visits to suit the most convenient 
hours of the family, and especially to meet the best 
intervals of the patient. Be sympathising, but hopeful 
and cheerful in your intercourse with them , for much 
depends on the state of feelings that may be inspired 
in the patient by the countenances and words of those 
around him. 
19* 



222 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



Watchers with the sick will find in the above direc- 
tions a few hints that may guide them in the proper 
mode of performing their duties. The rest they will 
receive from the physician or the regular nurse. 



CHAPTER X. 

OF APPOINTED OFFICERS. 

§ 1. Appointment and Service. 

The Officers of a Subordinate Lodge are divided into 
elective and appointed. The appointed officers are the 
R. and L. Scene Supporters, R. and L. Supporters of the 
Vice Grand, R. and L. Supporters of the Noble Grand, 
I. and 0. Guardians, the Conductor, and the Warden ; to 
whom is added, in some Lodges, the Chaplain. All these 
are appointed by the N. G. on his installation into office, 
except the R. and L. Supporters of the V. G., who are 
appointed by the V. G. at his installation. Twenty-six 
nights' service in one or more of these offices qualifies 
the incumbent to be a candidate for the Vice Grand's 
chair, provided he has attained sufficient degrees and is 
competent. The general and special duties and powers 
of each officer are defined in the charge books, installa- 
tion service, and in the Constitution and By-Laws of 
each Lodge. But it may be useful to enumerate the 
most important of them in this work. 



OF APPOINTED OFFICERS. 



223 



§ 2. The Chaplain. 

Jewel. — A white metal wand three and a 
half inches long — or twice the size of the 
engraving here inserted — with branching- 
arms connected with three links, the arms 
encompassing an open Bible.* 

Eegalia. — A white sash, (usually silk or 
satin,) trimmed with white or silver fringe 
and lace, and ornamented with rosettes ex- 
hibiting the colors of the degrees received by 
the wearer, or with white rosettes only. 

Station. — Abont the middle of one side of 
the room, and opposite the chair of the Past 
Grand — at the place of the Encampment 
Tent, if convenient. 

Duties. — To open and close the Lodge with the ap- 
pointed prayers, and to officiate at the funeral of a 
member, and on other public occasions. 




® 




§ 3. R. and L. Scene Supporters. 

Jewel. — A white metal wand, form and 
size the same as the Chaplain's, but the arms 
encompass a turning Torch. 

Eegalia. — White sashes sometimes 
trimmed with white ribbon or fringe and 
rosettes. The manner of wearing the sashes 

* To save repetition, we state here, that in Subordinate 
Lodges and Encampments the jewel is usually worn on 
the left breast, suspended from the sash or collar; and 
in Grand Lodges and Encampments, it is worn about the 
middle of the chest, suspended at the joining of the 
collar, or from a ribbon or smaller collar within the regu- 
lar collar, 



224 



THE ODD-FELLOW S MAS' UAL. 



is sometimes varied by different Lodges, for the sake of 
effect. 

Station. — In front, but a little to the right and left 
of the Vice Grand's chair. Their chairs are to be 
placed on the floor of the Lodge, in front of the plat- 
form occupied by the V. G-. and his Supporters. 

Duties. — They deliver the charges of their office at 
initiations, bear their wands of office (white) in proces- 
sions ; and at funerals, the same, trimmed with crape. 



4. R. and L. Supporters of the V. G. 

Jewel. — A white metal wand, same size 
and form as the Chaplain's, but the arms 
encompass an Hour- Glass. 

Eegalia. — Blue sashes — may be trimmed 
with white lace or fringe — and should be 
worn as those of the Scene Supporters, to 
produce uniformity. 

Station. — On the right and left of the 
Vice Grand, as their titles indicate. In some 
Lodges, they are placed a little forward of 
the V. G., and on the second step of the plat- 
form. 

Duties. — The Eight Supporter should be proficient 
in the business and work of a Lodge, as he is the official 
adviser of the Vice Grand, and occupies his chair during 
any temporary absence of that officer. And both should 
be quick in detecting any irregularities, in entering or 
leaving the Lodge, as it is their duty to correct every 
member or visitor who is not in proper regalia, or who 
addresses the chairs incorrectly. 




^=^ 



Or APPOINTED OFP1CERS. 225 




§ 5. R. and L. Supporters of the N. G. 

Jewel. — A white metal wand, size and. 
form of the Chaplain's, but the arms encom- 
pass a Gavel. 

Regalia. — Scarlet sashes — may be 
trimmed with white lace or fringe. The 
sashes should be worn in uniformity with 
those of the other chair. 

Station. — At the right and left of the 
N". G., to correspond with those of the oppo- 
site chair. 

Duties. — The Right Supporter should be 
well versed not only in the business and 
work of the Lodge, but also in the rules of 
order and debate ; as he is the official adviser of the 
N. GL, and must occupy his chair during the temporary 
absence of that officer. It is also his duty to open 
and close the Lodge in due form when directed by 
the K G-. 

The duty of the Left Supporter is to correct every 
brother (whether visitor or member) who is not in 
proper regalia, or does not address the chair correctly. 

The Supporters of both chairs occupy their respective 
posts in regard to the principal officers, at funeral and 
other processions, bearing their wands of office, of the 
proper colors, {blue and scarlet,) and trimmed suitably 
for the occasion. 



226 



THE ODD-FELLOW S MANUAL. 




§ 6. I. and 0. Guardians. 

Jewel. — The prescribed jewel 
of these offices is Crossed Swords 
made of white metal. 

Eegalia.— ^^° After June 1882, 
Lodges will work in the Scarlet De- 
gree, and all officers must be of that 
degree. °^n Each Guardian's Ee- 
galia will be a Scarlet Sash, trim- 
med with white lace or fringe. 
Both Guardians wear swords 
while on duty. 



N. B. — We have given the above as the general usage in those 
States in which we are acquainted. The usage in some sections may 
be different. 

Station. — The Outside G-uardian is stationed at, or 
within sight and hearing of, the outer door, after the 
Lodge is opened. Before it is opened, at the proper 
signal, he must secure the outer door, return to the 
Lodge-room and wait for orders beside the inner door. 
The Inside Guardian s station is in the Lodge-room, at 
the inner door. 

Duties. — The Outside Guardian has charge of the 
anteroom. He must prevent any one from entering 
from without, who has not the regular P. W., except by 
special orders from the N. G., to whom he will imme- 
diately communicate any unauthorized demand for ad- 
mission, or other questions of doubt, through the I. G. 
Guarding the first entrance to the Lodge, his office is a 
very responsible one, and requires much courtesy, com- 
bined with great decision and energy of character. 



OF APPOINTED OFFICERS 



227 



The Inside G-uardian must always be ready to com- 
municate with the G. He is to admit no one (except 
by special orders of the officer in charge of the Lodge) 
who is not in propjr regalia, and in possession of the 
explanation of the P. W. ; and must allow none to pass 
out and return, who has not the evening word, or 
V. G.'sP. W. He will always report to the officer in 
charge of the Lodge. When an intruder or disorderly 
member is to be ejected from the Lodge-room, both 
these officers should act promptly and vigorously, but 
with as much mildness as is consistent with the necessity 
of such a painful duty. 



§ 7. The Conductor. 

- Jewel. — The jewel of this office 
is Crossed Wands of white metal. 
In some lodges, and on some 
occasions, the Conductor bears a 
long black staff, surmounted with a 
gilt globe, or a hand with a heart in 
the palm, as the badge of his office. 
Regalia. — A black sash, some- 
times trimmed with white lace or 
fringe. 

Station. — " The Warden should sit to the right and 
in front of the N. G. The Conductor's place is to the 
left, and in front of the N. G. These places are the 
ones recognized by the most established usages of the 
Order, and we do not think it right to deviate from the 
old customs." — Editorial in Covenant, vol. iv., p. 238. 




228 the odd-fellow's manual. 



The Grand Lodge U. S. has confirmed the above usage 
in its published diagram of a lodge-room. 

Duties. — The Conductor is ex-officio the assistant of 
the Warden, when not engaged in his own special duties. 
But in Pennsylvania, (and possibly in some other States,) 
a "Junior Warden" is appointed, and the Conductor con- 
fined to the duties proper to his own office. This, though 
a deviation from law and usage, is a very convenient and 
useful arrangement. 

The Conductor is to receive the candidates in the ante- 
room, and deliver the charge of his office at the proper 
season. He should have a ready memory and be a good 
speaker, as he is to make the first, and therefore most 
important impression. 



§ 8. The Warden. 

Jewel. — Crossed Axes of 
white metal. Sometimes he 
bears, as the badge of his office, 
a long black staff, surmounted 
with a gilt or white ball. 

Eegalia. — A black sash — 
should be trimmed and worn 
to correspond with the Con- 
ductor's. 

Station. — This has been treated of under the pre- 
ceding section. 

Duties. — The office is an important one, and requires 
much personal .attention. He has charge of the entire 
wardrobe of the Lodge, and must place the regalia for 
the use of the officers and members before the Lodge 
opens, and replace it in its proper depository, after the 




OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 229 



Lodge closes, reporting any damage it may have sus- 
tained to the N. G., and receiving his orders in relation 
to it. In short, he has a general supervision of the fur- 
niture of the Lodge-room, and his duty is to make it 
comfortable. He must examine every person present 
before the Lodge is opened, reporting promptly to the 
N. G. every one he finds not fully qualified to remain in 
it. At least once a month this examination should be 
thorough, passing by no one. He is to deliver all sum- 
monses that may be issued by the Lodge, and is the 
Messenger of the Lodge during its sessions. Surely 
such an office requires an active, attentive, and obliging 
brother for its incumbent; and even the aid of a 
" Junior Warden" will hardly make it a sinecure ! 

His official charge is an important one, not easy to 
deliver effectively, and requires, therefore, not only a 
good memory and delivery, but talent besides, of a 
peculiar order. The office accordingly ranks high in 
the Lodge, and is rarely too well filled. 



CHAPTER XL 

OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 



The elective officers of a Subordinate Lodge are the 
Treasurer, the Permanent and the Recording Secretaries, 
the Vice Grand, and the Noble Grand. The Treasurer 
and the Permanent Secretary are usually elected for 
one year. Sometimes the duties of both Secretaryships 
are performed by one person; and in Pennsylvania, 
both are divided between two persons ; the Secretary, 
who is elected for one year, having supervision of the 
accounts and records; and the Assistant Secretary, who 
-0 



230 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



is elected for six months, aiding in either or both de- 
partments, and acting as a member of the Relief Com- 
mittee. Other officers, as Trustees, &c, may be elected, 
by provision of the By-Laws of each Lodge, but are not 
necessarily considered as known to the Order. And 
the N. G., after serving his term, becomes for the next 
term the "Sitting Past Grand" of the Lodge, without 
election or appointment. 

The qualifications for office, as to degrees, differ in 
various States ; but in nearly, if not quite all, the elec- 
tive offices must be filled with Scarlet Degree members. 
As no one should wear a color in his regalia to which 
he is not entitled by degree, all the offices should be 
filled with members of the degree implied by their 
regalia. 

To constitute an election to the elective offices, a 
majority of all the votes cast is necessary. And twenty- 
six nights' service as Vice Grand is necessary to eligi- 
bility to the Noble Grand's Chair. 

The special duties of officers vary in different juris- 
dictions, and even the general duties prescribed by the 
Grand Lodge of the United States are varied in some 
States by regulations peculiar to themselves. The Con- 
stitution and By-Laws of each subordinate, and the in- 
structions given at installation and by the Grand Lodge 
of each State, will be their guide in all that is peculiar 
as well as general. Here we can only note what we 
deem most important in either. Though the Treasurer 
has precedence of the Permanent Secretary, yet for 
convenience in consulting the duties of both Secreta- 
ries continuously, we here consider first 



OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 231 




§ 2. The Treasurer. 

Jewel. — Crossed Keys of white 
metal. 

Regalia. — A green collar, 
trimmed with white (silver) lace or 
fringe, to correspond with the other 
official regalia. 

Station. — On the left of the No- 
ble Grand, on a line and a level with 
the Recording Secretary. 

Duties. — He is the Banker of 
the Lodge, and should therefore be a good bookkeeper, 
a rigid accountant, and a man of strict integrity and re- 
spectable business talent, Whatever his wealth and 
standing in society, his bond, with ample security, should 
be as rigidly required, before installation, as if he were 
the poorest member. As the ability of the Lodge to 
aid its members in distress and furnish relief to their 
families depends mainly on the proper management of 
its funds, the Lodge cannot be too careful in filling this 
office well, and then in keeping it well filled. 

He should keep careful watch over all the moneyed 
affairs of the Lodge. He should insist on receiving all 
moneys through the Secretary, and on having all the 
forms and safeguards of business observed before he 
receives or pays out a cent. His books should ever be 
ready for an exhibition of the Lodge funds, and every 
voucher be properly labelled and filed. He should be 
present, if possible, at every stated meeting, to receive 
the receipts at the close ; and at the end of each term 
he should present his books and vouchers to the Auditing 
Committee, aid them in their labors, and make out a 
full report of his own department for the Lodge. 



232 



THE ODD-FELLOW S MANUAL. 




§ 3. The Permanent Secretary. 

Jewel. — Crossed Pens of white 
metal. 

Regalia. — - A green collar, 
trimmed with white (or silver) 
lace or fringe, to correspond with 
the preceding. 

Station. — This varies in dif- 
ferent Lodges. At the side of the 
room, opposite the P. Grand's 
chair, when not otherwise occu- 
pied, or at the side of the V. 
Grand's chair, opposite the I. G., 
is a good place, convenient of access, and aside from 
the other business of the Lodge. 

Duties. — He is the bookkeeper and accountant of 
the Lodge. He receives all moneys paid the Lodge, 
giving a receipt therefor, in each case, and pays the 
same over to the Treasurer each evening, taking his re- 
ceipt for the same in a small book kept for that purpose. 
His accounts should be regularly posted, that he may 
render to any brother a statement of his account, on 
demand, or to the N. G. a statement of the arrears of 
the brethren, at any time. At the end of each term he 
will aid the Auditing Committee in their duties, and pre- 
pare the semi-annual Report for the Grand Lodge to 
which his Lodge is attached. 

As so much of the peace and prosperity of the Lodge 
depends on a careful attention to the accounts of the 
3ame with its members, too much vigilance and exact- 
ness cannot be exercised by this officer. We hope to be 
excused, therefore, for occupying considerable room 



OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 233 

with some remarks on Lodge bookkeeping, a confused 
or vague subject even to some businessmen; and one 
that has cost not a few Lodges many dollars in the pur- 
chase of successive sets of books to meet the change of 
system introduced by each new officer in succession. 
We give the results of the experience of several able 
officers and past-officers iti that department. 



(1.) The System by Double Entry. 

A correspondent of the "Ark," published in Colum- 
bus, Ohio, in October, 1849, published directions on this 
subject, which he carefully revised and republished in 
December, 1850, w T ith the approval of the editor, him- 
self a Past Grand Secretary, as " the best that can be 
adopted." We therefore give it nearly entire, as fol- 
lows : — 

System. — No system of bookkeeping will combine all necessary 
debits and credits as that known as "double entry." If the single 
entry system is adopted by a Lodge, or by the bookkeeper of the 
Lodge, in order to make all the necessary debits and credits it will 
require much more labor and care to keep the accounts correct, and 
is more liable to omissions and errors. It is found to be advantageous 
to a Lodge to continue a competent bookkeeper a longer time than 
the term prescribed by law. 

Benefits shall be drawn and paid weekly by the N. G. or V. G. of the 
Lodge, and ought to be announced weekly, or at the first ensuing 
meeting of the Lodge, in order to be entered on the minutes. Debit 
benefit account and credit the brother the amount of benefits an- 
nounced, then debit the brother and credit Treasurer for the amount 
of the order. Accruing quarterly dues must be deducted and paid 
from benefits as they become due Benefits ordered to be placed to 
the credit of a member is the same as that much cash paid. 

Petitions. — The money accompanying a petition ougnt to be kept 
in the petition until the night of initiation, when the full amount 
should be credited, and the candidate debited to "initiation fee" 
20* 



234 the odd-fellow's manual. 



The dates and amount of debit and credit should correspond. The 
card deposited with a petition of a member of the Order ought to be 
well secured by wafer to the petition, and both filed away together. 

Letters. — You ought to preserve a copy of your ofiicial letters sent 
away, particularly those regarded as important. 

Fines. — A good time to debit fines is when the brother fails to be 
come excused, and when the record is made that he is fined. To de- 
bit each absent officer at each meeting when he is absent, would in- 
crease the number of entries of debits and credits, which can be 
avoided as above stated. 

Deposit of Cards. — In opening the books of a new Lodge, or at any 
time thereafter, the fee must be debited to the brother who is elected 
to membership, and credited to card deposite account. The initia- 
tion account and this account ought not to be mingled together. The 
date of membership should commence with the introduction of the 
member r and his signing the Constitution of the Lodge. But what- 
ever date is prescribed, he is chargeable with dues from that date. 

Degrees and Cards. — Debit the applicant for degrees or cards only 
on the evening the same is granted. The cash for degrees is required 
by law to be paid on the evening of application ; if not then paid, 
payment ought to be made on the evening of election. Degrees con- 
ferred on a member to qualify him to fill an office in opening a new 
Lodge, must be charged up against such member [if not gratuitous] 
as though he had applied for them at any other time. 

Notices. — It has been customary to notify each member of the time 
of the election of officers. In a corner of the written or printed no- 
tice the amount of arrearages might be stated, so as to enable the 
brother to come prepared to pay his indebtedness. 

Quarterly Dues. — In the week previous to the last meeting, [at the 
end of each term,] charge up the term dues under the date of the 
last meeting [of the term]. On the night preceding the last meet- 
ing in each term, have prepared a list of the members who are 
indebted, with the amount due by each. In that list include the 
dues of the expiring term. In cases of withdrawal, expulsion, or 
death, debit the account of the expelled, &c, with the amount of 
dues up to the time of withdrawal, &c. 

Collection of Dues. — It is the duty of the Permanent Secretary tc 
receive all moneys due the Lodge. It is the interest of the Lodge tc 
have payments made regularly as the dues accrue, and the Perma- 
nent Secretary ought to consider it, his duty to call on all the mem 



OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 235 



bers, as far as he can, who are not prompt in paying up. tie ought 
also to see that the requirements of the laws in regard to the appli- 
cations for degrees and cards are complied with. In the absence of 
any provision in the Constitution, requiring collections to be made 
by the P. S., it might result to the advantage of some Lodges if they 
would adopt a provision in their By-Laws imposing that duty on him. 

Cash. — The money accompanying petitions ought not to be entered 
or credited on the cash receipts until initiation, or election on card 
deposited, for fear the petition may be withdrawn, or the applicant 
rejected. If the money should be entered on the account-book pre* 
vious to election, and afterward the petition be withdrawn, you 
would be opening a new account which would not be continued. It 
is no advantage to fill your account-book with such names. Cash is 
debited and the members credited for payments. The P. S. is ac- 
countable for all cash entered. 

Receipts. — The Treasurer's receipts to the P. S. ought to be taken 
in a small book kept for that purpose. 

Fractions. — Avoid fractions of a cent, as they are very trouble- 
some. [Doubted whether the saving of trouble would pay for the 
loss of money where the dues are six and a fourth cents weekly.] 

Watch Notices and Sick List. — The P. S. is required to make out 
these notices, but no law says he shall serve them. A small book, 
that can be carried in the pocket, should be kept as a sick list, to 
contain, first, a list of the members of the Lodge, with parallel lines, 
in which a mark should be made to credit watching with a sick bro- 
ther ; second, to give the date, the names of the watchers, and the 
name of the person with whom he watched. The first list to occupy 
a few pages in the first part of the book; the second list requires 
more paper. 

Register. — You are required to keep a correct register of the mem- 
bers, with the date of initiation, name, number, how admitted, age, 
occupation, residence, date and number of degrees taken, time of 
withdrawal, [or suspension, expulsion, &c.,] and a column for P. 
Grands. Also a register of notices of expulsion from and by other 
Lodges, with the cause, &c. 

Letter Book. — The Letter-Book should contain an abstract of your 
Semi-Annual Reports. A copy is required to be taken and kept. 

Reports. — You are required to report to the Grand Lodge semi- 
annually the amount, of receipts: viz., initiations, cards deposited, 
term dues, degree fees, fines, and donations. Ascertain exactlv on 



236 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



what basis the Grand Lodge requires the percentage to be estimated, 
and calculate accordingly. If the following course is pursued, justice 
will be done to both Lodges. It has been adopted by the one in 
Columbus. At the end of each term, take the amount placed to the 
credit of each of these accounts, first deducting all the debits that 
occurred during the term, and report them as receipts. Some in- 
dividuals may be in arrears at the time, but they must be overlooked 
until any one of such may be expelled. When any member is expelled, 
debit the account of term dues with the amount of arrears, and deduct 
that amount from the amount credited to that account during that 
term, and report the remainder as the receipts on which to pay per- 
centage. The reason for this procedure is this: — The Lodge has 
already paid percentage on the amount of arrears of the expelled 
member, and as the Lodge has not received any money, it is but 
justice to cancel an equal amount of dues of the current term. In 
the event of reinstation and full payment of dues, then the amount 
paid by the person reinstated must be reported as receipts during 
that term. In your Report, if you put opposite each name of mem- 
bers initiated or admitted on card, their number on the Register, it 
will enable the officer of the Grand Lodge to discover any omission, * 
and to find the proper name on his Register, where two or more may 
be nearly the same. 

Great care should be taken in making out the Report, to have it 
declared " correct," and it should be ready for approval at the first 
meeting of the term, [and be signed by the N. G. of the past term,] 
and immediately forwarded to the Grand Lodge, with the amount 
of percentage due ; also, if possible, with a certificate in favor of 
the new Past Grand. A list of Past Grands is required to be fur- 
nished at the end of the year, on your Report. In some conspicuous 
place, write the day of the week on which your Lodge meets. This 
Report should be ready to be enclosed, with amount of percentage 
and P. Grand's certificate, to the Secretary of the Grand Lodge of 
Ohio, on the day following the first meeting of the term. 

Balance Sheets. — You will prepare a balance-sheet of all debits and 
credits standing in your Ledger, for the Auditing Committee, and 
ale it. 

Balancing Accounts. — Often balancing accounts consumes paper 
without effecting much good. In accounts, such as quarterly dues, 
initiations, &c, where there is no debit, avoid the common practice 
of balancing bj merely drawing a line under the credit column, and 



OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 287 



setting down the total amount. This may be done with initiation 
account, degrees, &c, where there are a number of entries. In the 
account of quarterly dues, once a year is often enough. 

Accounts. — In order to keep a good set of books, it is necessary 
that the following accounts be opened, viz., Cash, Treasurer, Initia- 
tion, Cards deposited, Quarterly Dues, Degrees, Expense, Benefits, 
Grand Lodge, Charity ; and it may be necessary, for convenience, 
to add the following: — Travelling and Visiting Card, Widows and 
Orphans, Percentage, Representative Tax, Regalia, Emblems, and 
Jewels. It will be found convenient to the accountant to have a 
number of pages left for each of the first, second, third, sixth, 
seventh, and eighth accounts named above. 

The foregoing directions, though intended only for 
the meridian of Ohio, are applicable generally. And 
though adapted for the system of double entry, many 
of them will be found equally useful where the system 
of single entry alone is used : as it is used in our 
Lodges very generally, especially in Pennsylvania, in- 
cluding Philadelphia. 

(2.) The System by Single Entry. — In many Lodges, 
keeping the books by double entry would only increase 
trouble and perplexity, and is totally unnecessary, 
especially where the duties of accountant and recorder 
are performed by but one Secretary. We add, then, 
in addition to what is applicable in the foregoing, a few 
remarks. 

The Permanent Secretary will need 

1. A Blotter, (or Day or Night Book, as some term it,) in which 
to record eacli payment of any kind as soon as made. Enter it 
carefully, and legibly, stating for whom, for what, and by whom it is 
made. At the close of each lodge-meeting, add up the receipts 
since the last meeting, and report, the amount, with the names of 
payers, to the Lodge, that errors may be corrected, and the amount 
be entered on the Minutes. 



238 



2. A Ledger, in which allot to each member a portion of a folio, 
whereon to post the payments from the Blotter. The charges for 
dues should be made quarterly. 

3. Book of Blank Receipts, so that he can readily fill and cut out 
one for every payment, and mark in the margin the amount, date, 
and name of payer. 

4. Receipt Book, in which to take the Treasurer's Receipt for each 
evening's payment. 

5. Register, containing a list of members in order of initiation or 
admission, when admitted, and how; age, residence, occupation; 
date of taking each degree, and office held ; time of withdrawal, 
death, suspension, &c. Also — An Encampment Record (in the Register) 
of members who have united with an Encampment, (giving its name 
and number,) — the date of admission, and the date of the notice 
given to the Encampment of suspension or expulsion (if such occur) 
from the Lodge, and the cause of the same, as required by law. 
This Register is usually kept by the Recording Secretary, as also 
Nos. 6 and 7 following. 

6. Black Book, containing a list of rejections, suspensions, and 
expulsions, of your own or neighboring Lodges, with dates and 
causes, when known. 

7. Sick and Watch Rolls may be in the same book. The first should 
contain the name, when reported, dates of benefits, dates of watches, 
and date of recovery. The latter, a complete list of members, 
should have a column to enter date of service, (or neglect, paid by 
fine.) 

8. Letter Book, containing copies of all important or business 
letters sent, numbered to correspond with those to which they reply, 
or with the replies, on your files. In this book copy at length your 
Reports, and an abstract of the Reports of the Treasurer and the 
Auditing Committee, for reference. 

When benefits are awarded, immediately calculate 
thebrother's indebtedness, (if any,) and hand the mem- 
orandum (with a receipt) to the Treasurer, to be de- 
ducted by him, paid to you, and credited to the sick 
brother. This saves the sick the trouble of sending 



OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 



239 



his arrears to the Lodge by a special messenger, and is 
a safeguard against his running into arrears sufficient to 
work loss of benefits during his illness. 

The foregoing, it is hoped, will prove sufficient to 
guide the unpractised officer of a new Lodge; at least 
until experience shall make him acquainted with the 
many details of his duties. One thing let the Lodge 
be resolved against — frequent changes in its modes of 
keeping accounts. They are not only costly and 
troublesome, but by the copying which they render 
necessary with every new set of books opened, they 
render mistakes almost unavoidable and past searching 
out for correction. Adhere, then, to the system first 
chosen, and keep in office your Permanent Secretary so 
long as he performs well and can be retained. 



4. The Recording Secretary. 



level. 



on a i 



Jewel. — The jewel of this is 
the same with the preceding 
officer — Crossed Pens of white 
metal worn suspended from the 
collar. 

Regalia. — Also the same as 
the preceding — a green collar, 
trimmed with white (or silver) 
lace or fringe, to correspond with 
the Permanent Secretary's. 

Station. — On the right of the 
Noble Grand — not on the same 
though sometimes a little in advance: but always 
ine with the Treasurer. 




240 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



Duties. — He is the recorder of the proceedings of 
the Lodge, and its general corresponder, and the cus- 
todian of its seal and its documents generally. 

As the rights and privileges of members, and the 
existence of the Lodge itself, in cases of charges against 
either, may depend upon the records, it is very im- 
portant that they be correctly kept, and by some regular 
system. Let the first draft be taken down on a quire 
or two of paper stitched in a cover, from which, after 
being approved by the Lodge, they should be carefully 
and neatly copied into the Minute or Record-Book. 

The following general directions we copy from the 
"Ark," for December, 1850, where they appear with 
the approval of its practical Editor : they are as good 
as our own experience could offer : — 

Minutes. — Much care should be taken to keep a neat record of the 
transactions of your Lodge. There ought to be the space of three 
to six lines left between the proceedings of each meeting. Leave a 
blank line between the record of each subject: it will enable you 
more readily to find any matter of record at any future day. After 
reading the minutes of the previous meeting, and approval, is a good 
time to require absentees, if present, to offer their excuses. When 
absentees offer their excuses, the result should be recorded imme- 
diately after the approval of the minutes, that the record of the 
absentees and the excuses for previous absence may be near together, 
and easily found. All unimportant unsuccessful motions might be 
omitted, and yet the record be true as to the proceedings. The 
record of each meeting ought to be headed with the name and number 
of the Lodge, and the date ; and closed by the attest and signature 
of the Secretary. The By-Laws of the Lodge ought to be neatly 
copied in the Minute-Book, [or Constitution and By-Laws, when 
printed, pasted in,] when the same is adopted, with sufficient space 
for adding all amendments, whenever made. [All questions of order 
and precedents, should also be entered in a separate place for con- 
venient reference, as well as in the minutes.] A list of payments 
by members, or aggregate of receipts of the evening, as reported by 



OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 241 



the Per. Sec, ought to be embraced in the minutes, just previous to 
the signature of the Secretary. [If degree certificates are granted, 
enter the fact, payment, &c. ; but the conferring of degrees by the 
officers of the Lodge belongs to a separate book, kept for that pur- 
pose. A. B. G.] 

Cards. — The dues of an applicant for a Visiting Card must be 
paid up to the time the card extends, with cost of card, previous to 
its delivery — for final card to the time of granting the same, to- 
gether with the cost of it as fixed by law. It is the duty of a mem- 
ber having a Visiting Card, to return it at the expiration of the 
time for which it was given. 

Degrees. —The applicant for degrees is required by law, [in Ohio,] 
to be free from indebtedness to the Lodge. The degrees must be 
paid for at the time of application, or previous to balloting for the 
same, as the election for degrees, where payment is not made, is not 
valid. 

Filing. — Letters and other valuable papers received, ought to be 
carefully folded, numbered, nature and date intelligibly endorsed on 
one end, and filed away : the letters and notices' by themselves, and 
the following in different packages, viz. Petitions, Reports, Bills and 
Accounts, Bonds and Agreements, Certificates for Benefits, Visiting 
Cards returned, Miscellaneous. 

Postage, $c. — Keep an account of postage paid and stationery fur- 
nished, and present a bill of the same at the end of the quarter or 
term. 

Officers' Bonds, as required by the Constitution, ought to be 
prepared by the Secretary for the signatures of the officers elect 
and their sureties, and the same presented to, and approved by, the 
Lodge, before their installation. 

Seal. — All official documents, to be legal, must have the seal of the 
Lodge impressed legibly thereon. [No seal is legal that is not im- 
pressed upon the document itself — pasting, or otherwise merely 
attaching a seal, will not answer; for it might be wetted and 
removed to any other document, and thus dangerous imposition be 
practised — hence the propriety of this decision. A. B. G.] An 
improper use is sometimes made of the seal. The Secretary has no 
right to put the seal to letters which are not properly official letters: 
letters that the Lodge did not order him to write, and which it is 
not his duty, as that officer, to write, are not official. 

Reports. — At the end of each term make out a correct report of 
21 Q 



242 the odd-fellow's manual. 



initiations, &c, for the use of the Per. Sec. and the Auditing Com- 
mittee, whose meeting you should attend with your books, ready to 
give any explanation or information they may require. 

The foregoing directions, the results of the experi- 
ences of some of our ablest Secretaries — have been often 
and warmly praised by many persons who have greatly 
profited by them. 

No person is privileged to interfere with the books 
and papers of either of the Secretaries, except the 
Noble Grand, the M. W. Grand Master, or the R. W. 
D. G. Master of the District, and the proper Committee 
appointed in pursuance of the Constitution and By- 
Laws of the Lodge. They are subject to examination 
by a Committee trying any member on charges, as any 
other witness, when their books and papers may be 
required to be produced ; but only under their charge 
and custody. 

In no case, should any vote or resolution actually 
passed by the Lodge be omitted or erased from the 
record, however erroneous in spirit, or unlawful in 
import. It may be rescinded or annulled at a future 
meeting, but the record of the act and of its correction 
should both appear on the minutes. 

As the Permanent Secretary is a paid officer, usually, 
(his arduous duties requiring pecuniary compensation,) 
the Past Secretary's degree is conferred only on the 
Recording Secretary, who is ex officio a member of the 
Visiting or Relief Committee. 



OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 



243 





§ 5. The Vice Grand. 

Jewel. — The Vice Grand's jewel is 
an Hour-Glass of white metal. 

Regalia. — A blue collar, trimmed 
with white or silver — generally lace or 
fringe of silver bullion, (and sometimes 
ornamented with silver stars,) to corre- 
spond with the other official regalia. 

Station. — At the end of the room 
nearest the entrance, and in the chair 
trimmed with blue. 

Duties. — As the second officer of the Lodge, and 
the probable and almost* certain successor of the Noble 
Grand, his requisites and qualifications should in no- 
wise be inferior to those demanded by the first chair. 
He should be as well acquainted with the merits and 
qualifications of the members, and with the business of 
the Lodge, and with.the rules of order and debate. 

His express duty is to advise and (if need be) correct 
the N. G. if that officer commits an error — even pub- 
licly, if necessary. When the N. G. is absent from the 
Lodge, the V. G. must take his chair and regalia, and 
perform all his duties, except delivering the P. G's. 
charge. At initiations he will place a P. G. or P. V. 
G. in the V. G's. chair; and he may then, or in con- 
ferring degrees, place a P. G. in the N. G/s chair. 

He has the appointment of his own Supporters, and 
should select competent persons. His Right Supporter, 
especially, should be an experienced brother, capable 
of advising him in cases of doubt and difficulty, and 



244 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



filling his chair during a temporary absence. In some 
States, he appoints a portion of each Committee. He 
assists in examining each ballot, and in maintainino- 
order generally. He superintends the entrance and 
exit of the brethren, and furnishes the P. W. for the 
evening to his R. Supporter, as soon as the Lodge is 
opened. He is entitled to the A. T. P. W., that he 
may properly examine visitors. He is also, during his 
term of office, a member of the Relief Committee. And 
he should use all diligence, while in the second chair, 
to commit the entire ritual of the first chair, and other- 
wise qualify himself for performing well its duties. 

§ 6. The Noble Grand. 

Jewel. — The Crossed Gavels, 
made of white metal, are the jewel 
of this office. 

Regalia. — A scarlet collar 
trimmed with white or silver — gen- 
erally ornamented with lace and 
fringe of silver bullion, and with 
stars, to correspond with the other 
official regalia. 

Station. — At the upper end of 
the room, in the principal chair 
which is designated by scarlet hangings or decorations. 
This is usually placed on a platform of three steps. 

Duties. — He is the Presiding Officer of the Lodge, 
the superintendent of its officers and its members, and 
the custodian of its Charter, Charge-books, and pro- 
perty generally. He has not onlv his own special 
duties to perform, but must see that all his subordinate 
officers properly and promptly perform theirs also : and 




OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 245 



must allow no invasion of the rights and interests of 
his fellow-members or of the lodge. He should be an 
example in obedience and respect to superiors, and to 
the constitution and laws of his lodge and of the Grand 
Lodge. In the absence of all P. Gs. he may deliver 
the P. G.'s charge at initiation, and install his successor 
and other officers of his lodge. 

He will give the Term P. W. to none but members in 
good standing, or to such brethren as he may be law- 
fully directed to give it. He will find the welfare of 
the Lodge, and of each member, best promoted by 
rigidly enforcing a prompt payment of their dues, and 
withholding from delinquents the proper privileges of 
the Order. 

The Charges and Lectures placed in his custody, he 
will especially secure and guard against exposure or 
damage. Making copies of portions, though allowed, 
should be sparingly and cautiously permitted ; and the 
return, for destruction, of such written parts should be 
strictly insisted on. 

To understand his duties properly, he should care- 
fully study the Installation service, the Constitutions 
and By-Laws of his Grand and subordinate lodges, the 
Digests of the Laws of the G. L. U. S., and of the 
State Grand Lodge, and Cushing's Manual;* and 
should read attentively the latest proceedings of the Sov. 
G. L., and of his State Grand Lodge, that he may 
be well advised of late decisions. An ignorant man, 

* Every lodge should have two copies of the Manual and Digest, 
for the use of ita V. Gr. and N. G., and an additional copy of each 
for the use of members generally during sessions. But the diligent 
and active Odd-Fellow, especially if he aspires to pass the chairs, 
should have a copy of each for his own use. 
21* 



246 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



one inattentive to the proceedings of the legislative 
bodies of the Order, is unfit for a Noble Grand. 

It is of the utmost importance that he really preside 
over his lodge during exciting debates, which will some- 
times arise. He should then be especially calm, atten- 
tive, wary, prompt, firm, and decided. Better, even, 
decide a point of doubt wrong, but 'promptly, than 
decide it right after much irresolution and delay. But 
although he must even seem stern at periods of excite- 
ment, let there appear no tumult, no passion, no preju- 
dice or partiality in his mind or manner. His voice 
should be rather more subdued than usual, instead of 
louder ; and in giving his decision, let it be done " in 
few words fitly chosen. " State the positions of both 
parties fairly, add the reasons for deciding, and then 
pronounce it firmly, and invite an appeal if any are dis- 
satisfied. Happy is the Lodge that has Noble Grands 
able thus to act, and competent thus to preside over it. 

As guardian of the widows and orphans of the lodge, 
and as the chief official visitor of its sick and distressed 
brethren, he has great means and powers for usefulness 
and good. By advising with the able and influential 
brethren he can procure needed employment for the 
poorer and more needy, and secure little attentions and 
kindness most grateful and salutary for the sick and the 
suffering. It is not enough that he coldly and formally 
visits the sick and dependent at stated intervals as a 
mere officer. He is the representative of the humanity 
and benevolence of the Lodge, an embodiment of the 
spirit of our Order, the father, as it were, of his 
brethren ; consequently there must be heart in his looks 
and words, and sympathy in his every action. He must 
not only visit in person, but see that every member of 



OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 247 



the Committee and the appointed watchers attend 
properly, heartily, to their duties ; and if needed or de- 
sirable, let him spare no efforts to induce members gen- 
erally to visit the languishing with offices of brotherly 
love and kindness. 

Much depends on his appointments. Good readers 
or speakers are needed for Conductor and Warden. 
The latter, also, should be a lover of order, neatness, 
and cleanliness, who will not allow a litter in the 
lodge-room, nor confusion and rags in the wardrobe. 
On Committees, of which he generally appoints the ma- 
jority, if not the whole, no idlers and incompetent men 
should be placed for chairmen ; and it were better still 
if they were left off entirely. And his Right Supporter 
should be experienced, observant, and trusty, that he 
may be a reliable adviser and aid. 

In transacting the business of the Lodge, let no time 
be wasted. See that everything is ready before open- 
ing, and then quietly and orderly proceed from item to 
item, without delaying to invite discussions. If debates 
arise, seek to confine them to the point in dispute, that 
they may not be unduly prolonged; and allow no dis- 
cussion except on a clearly stated motion, duly made 
and seconded. The most tedious and irritating debates 
frequently arise on some " suggestion," when, had all 
discussion been repressed until a motion had been made, 
none would have occurred. A Lodge is an assemblage 
for transacting important business, not for mere exer- 
cise in discussion. Do the business, then, in the shortest 
rime and best manner, allowing just as much explana- 
tion and discussion as are necessary to its being well 
understood and geuerally acquiesced in by those inte- 



248 



THE ODD-FELLOWS MANUAL. 



rested. If, after this, there is time to spare, let it be em- 
ployed in social and fraternal intercourse and innocent 
enjoyment. 




§ 7. The Sitting Past Grand. 

Jewel. — A five-pointed 
star, with a heart and hand 
in the centre, made of 
white metal. The heart 
may be of cornelian, or 
other red substance. 

Regalia. — " Past 
Grands shall wear scarlet 
collars or sashes trimmed 
with white. The collars or 
sashes may be trimmed with 
silver lace or fringe, and 
those having attained the 
royal purple degree may have trimmings of yellow 
metal." — Journal G. L. U.S., 1868, p. 4357. The 
sash is generally worn at the East and in New York, 
and the collar in Pennsylvania, &c. 

Station. — About midway, at the side of the room, on 
the right of the N. G. The chair is decorated with 
scarlet trimmings or drapery. 

Duties. — The office is simply a sequel to that of N. G., 
who becomes the sitting P. G. of the Lodge, as a matter 
of course, on passing his chair. His duties are to de- 
liver the charge to a candidate at initiation, and, in 
many Lodges, to officiate as outside Conductor, and in 
examining and introducing visitors, in which latter case 
he must possess the A. T. P. W, 



OF ELECTIVE OFFICERS. 249 



In the absence of the N. G. and V. G., a P. G. should 
take the N. G.'s chair ; and if no V. G. or P. V. G. is 
present, place a scarlet-degree member in the V. G. ? s 
chair. 

§ 8. Rules of Order and Debate. 

The S. Grand Lodge of the I. O. O. F., and nearly 
all the State Grand Lodges and Encampments, have 
enacted rules for the governance of their subordinates ; 
and the former has adopted " Cushing's Manual " * as 
the guide and authority of our Order. These works 
being accessible and easily procured, renders unnecessary 
any attempt to furnish rules in this place. 

§ 9. Use of the Gavel. 

This instrument has two uses in Odd-Fellowship, one 
as the tongue or voice of the lodge in the hands of its 
officers, the other as an emblem or jewel. It is not 
used as an operative instrument, as in Masonry ; nor do 
our books ever contemplate its use in Encampments, 
though some do use it, but, as we think, improperly. 
The presiding officers of Patriarchal bodies, by consult- 
ing the charges and emblems of authority delivered at 
their installation, will perceive that, not the gavel, but 
another instrument is given them for the purpose of 
signifying their authority and wishes. 

But the use of the gavel seems to be not eo well 
understood in our lodges as it should be. A frequent 
or continual rapping, instead of promoting order and 
attention, increases noise and confusion. Custom re- 
quires it to be used in commanding attention or silence, 

*" Manual of Parliamentary Practice. Rules of Proceedings 
and Debate in Deliberative Assemblies." By Luther S. Cusliiug. 



250 THE OBD-FELLOW S iVlANL 



or requiring members to be seated, &c. One rap, and 
that by the N. G. only, (or his R. H. S., by his direc- 
tion,) is sufficient for that purpose ; and, after custom 
has established this use, will be more effectual than 
many. Rarely should it be repeated immediately; and 
never should it be repeated by the Y. G. for that pur- 
pose. The V. G. may give it when the N. G. is so 
engaged that he cannot attend to it. 

The raps of the N. G. are never to be repeated by the 
V. G., except in cases where the written work calls on 
him specially to do so, or in the case above named. The 
directions of the books are special, and are to be strictly 
complied with. By carefully observing this rule, much 
unnecessary noise will be avoided ; and, when once 
established, every member will be saved the perplexity 
now so frequently caused by a too free use of the in- 
strument. 

The P. G. is not an executive officer, and is therefore 
no more entitled to use a gavel in his chair than the 
Secretary or Treasurer. He is to command order only 
by his example. 

§ 10. Combined P. G. and P. O. P. (or P. H. P. Regalia.) 

A P. G. who is also a P. C. P., may wear a scarlet 
collar (not more than 5J inches wide) trimmed with 
white, with a roll of purple (2 inches wide) trimmed with 
yellow ; the collar to be united in front with three links. 
The collar and roll may be of velvet — the trimmings of 
metal. 

P. H. Priests who are P. G.'s and also members of 
Grand Encampments, may wear the above regalia. — 
G. L. U. 8. Jour., 1874, pp. 6197 and 6222. 



DEGREE LODGES COMMITTEES — OFFICERS, 251 



CHAPTER XII. 

OF DEGP.EE LODGES, OR COMMITTEES, ETC., AND THEIR 
OFFICERS. 




Various modes have been adopt- 
ed in the several States for confer- 
ring degrees. Subordinate lodges, 
to ballot for (or confer) degrees, 
must close finally, in full form, 
and then open in the first degree 
confer it, and close. Dismissing 
those not further qualified, it opens 
in the second degree, and so on, 
regularly, through all the degrees 
required to be conferred. In this case the regular 
officers of the Subordinate Lodge, or persons selected 
by them, officiate. In some States a Lecture Master, 
appointed by the D. D. G. Master, calls qualified 
brethren to his aid, and confers the degrees awarded by 
the lodge, usually soon after the lodge closes; in others, 
a Committee of Past Grands, or of the officers and 
qualified members of the lodge, confer the degrees at 
stated seasons; but as in all these modes the same duties 
are performed that occur in a Degree Lodge, we have 
thought proper to present our general directions iu 
treating of that organization and its officers. 



252 THE ODD-FELLOW ? S MANUAL. 



r § 1. Constitution of Degree Lodges. 

The legality of Degree Lodges is recognized by the 
Grand Lodge of the United States, but their establish- 
ment is left to the option of the State Grand Lodges, 
who, again, leave the matter to the discretion of their 
subordinates and fifth degree members. The price for 
degrees is left to the control of State Grand Lodges. 

When the requisite number of scarlet degree mem- 
bers of any locality wish to establish a Degree Lodge, 
they will proceed to organize informally, and petition 
their Grand Lodge for a charter, as directed in the case 
of a Subordinate Lodge. This charter empowers them 
to confer the five degrees on those who present the pro- 
per certificates; to elect as members all fifth degree 
members in good standing, who apply for admission; to 
receive the prescribed fees for conferring degrees, and 
for membership ; but to impose no dues, pay no benefits, 
hold no property beyond what is necessary for perform- 
ing their work, and enjoy no representation in the 
Grand Lodge. It opens in the fifth degree, and can 
transact no business (save conferring degrees) in any 
other. 

§ 2. Conferring Degrees. 

Too little care and attention, generally, has been 
bestowed on this important portion of instruction. They 
are generally conferred at the close of the ordinary 
Lodge-meeting, when members are tired, and desire to 
go home to rest, and few therefore remain to give the 
work due effect. In Degree Lodges, also, the attend- 
ance is generally thin, and the work is treated with too 



DEGREE LODGES COMMITTEES — OFFICERS. 253 



much indifference, and hurried through as a thing more 
desirable to be rid of than to perform. The offices 
not being legal qualifications for other stations beyond, 
Having no official degrees when passed, and no special 
honors or emoluments attached, are frequently poorly 
filled and irregularly served. Frequent absences re- 
quire frequent changes in temporary supplies, many of 
whom are but imperfectly acquainted with the written 
and unwritten work, and therefore differ considerably 
from each other in their instructions to the candidates. 
All these evils combined, in some sections, tend greatly 
to mar the beauty and harmony of the instructions of 
our subordinate degrees. 

The evil suggests its own remedy : let it be applied 
wherever possible. If conferred by the Subordinate 
Lodge, let it set aside one evening every month to con- 
fer degrees, omitting initiations and all other than 
absolutely necessary business. Let them be conferred 
deliberately; by none other than good readers; and 
have the candidates carefully and correctly instructed 
by a competent Teacher. If by a Committee, let them 
secure a good attendance of well qualified brethren. If 
by a Degree Lodge, let it secure competent and zealous 
officers, who will perform their duties correctly. And 
if the number of candidates is too great, as frequently 
happens in large cities, let them meet oftener, that the 
work may be well and understandingly performed. 

§ 3. Officers and their Duties. 

The officers of a Degree Lodge, as prescribed by the 
Lectures, are a Noble Grand, a Deputy Noble Grand, 
an Assistant Noble Grand, a Vice Grand, a Past Grand, 
a Conductor, and an Inside and an Outside Guardian, to 

22 



254 the odd-fellow's manual 



which are added, for the transaction of its business, a 
Secretary or Scribe, and a Treasurer. In Pennsylvania, 
where these Lodges originated, the ancient names are 
retained of High Priest, Deputy, and Assistant High 
Priest, Warden, &c. 

The jewels, regalia, and robes of these offices are not 
prescribed by law, and consequently vary more or less 
in nearly every Degree Lodge. In Pennsylvania, gene- 
rally, they approximate closely toward those of Encamp- 
ment offices ; in other States, those of the Subordinate 
Lodge, except that the colors are for the third degree. 

The duties of the several officers correspond generally 
to those of similar officers in the Subordinate Lodge. 
Where there is any deviation, it is clearly noted in the 
book of Lectures. The Assistant and Deputy of the 
principal officer are seated, respectively, at his left and 
his right hand. The stations of the others correspond 
precisely to the stations of the corresponding offices of 
the Lodge. 

The Principal and his Assistants should be good, 
ready readers, as should the Vice Grand (or Warden) 
and the Past Grand. If the Conductor is to instruct 
the candidates, as is sometimes done, he should be 
thoroughly instructed "himself, and regular in attend- 
ance. But the chief officer should perform that duty 
in person, aided (if need be) by his Assistant. 

The same remarks, as to reading and instruction, 
apply to a Lecture Master. And great care should be 
used to impress the candidate with the importance of 
remembering the mode of proving strangers, and our 
rule in regard to challengers. 

The Scribe should be required to notify each Lodge 
what degrees are conferred on its members, and when 
• hey were conferred, that the Secretary may enter the 



OF PAST OFFICIAL DEGREES. 255 



information on his books for the use of the Subordinate 
Lodge. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

OF PAST OFFICIAL DEGREES. 

These belong properly to the Grand Lodge, but we 
introduce them here for convenience. They can be con- 
ferred only by some one specially authorized to confer 
them by the Grand Lodge itself; usually some Grand 
Officer, or the D. D. Grand Masters, and sometimes by 
a Degree Lodge. 

They are conferred only for services rendered, save, 
in the case of a new Lodge, the first N. G. may receive 
the Past V, G.'s and the P. Secretary's degree ; and the 
first Y. G. the Past Secretary's. In some States they 
are made requisite to holding office in the Grand 
Lodge. 

The Past Official Degrees for the Encampment were 
abolished years ago , and as there are no prescribed 
lectures to accompany these, they might as well have 
been treated in the same manner. Seldom do any 
remarks accompany the imparting of the unwritten 
language. We have therefore but few comments to 
offer. 

§ 1. Past Secretary's Degree. 

If with proper integrity you have recorded the pro- 
ceedings of your Lodge, you are entitled to receive the 
honors of this degree, and the S. and P. W. by which to 



256 



THE ODD-FELLOW S MANUAL. 




be known of all others of similar merit. You have 
magnified and made honorable a toilsome office, already 
rendered illustrious bj the many great and noble men 
who have performed its duties. Ezra, and Daniel, and 
the prophets generally are classed as Scribes. But the 
Great Scribe, who writeth his laws on the universe and 
in the hearts of men, as his Finger inscribed The Law 
on the tables of stone, has Himself crowned the office 
with the excellency of glory. How terrible that writing 
on the palace-wall, which only His prophet could inter- 
pret to the dismayed Belshazzar : " Mene, Mene, 
Tekel, Upharsln!" (Daniel v. 25.) May a similar 
sentence never be written against any Odd-Fellow ! 

There is no prescribed Emblem, Jewel, Regalia, or 
Color for this degree. Its recipient retains those of the 
office passed. 



OF PAST OFFICIAL DEGREES. 



257 



; 




§ 2. Past Vice Grand's Degree. 

If you have faithfully aided the Noble Grand in re- 
straining and suppressing all disorder, and enforcing the 
laws of our institution ; and if you have carefully ad- 
ministered the obligation and impressively delivered the 
charge in every case, you are worthy of this honorary 
degree. For by your fidelity has your [color) been 
honored and ito illustrious exemplar been imitated. 
And in truth there is no inapt resemblance between 
your humble duties and those of Moses at Sinai. Both 
delivered the law, obligation, and charge of their office 
faithfully, and bound those under their instruction to 
order and obedience. 

The Emblem, Jewel, Regalia, and Color of this De- 
gree are simply those of the office passed. 
22* R 



258 



THE ODD-FELLOW S MANUAL. 



§ 3. Past Noble GiranoVs Degree. 

Having, with proper 
dignity and paternal re- 
gard, extended the arm 
of authority over your 
Lodge, and maintained 
its order and promoted 
its welfare, you are trans- 
ferred to a chair of equal 
honor but greater repose, 
and are prepared to enter 
a Lodge of higher rank 
and more extended duties. 
In your comparative ease here, and more extended field 
of active duty there, cease not to remember gratefully the 
kind partiality and unbought favors of your brethren, 
whose suffrages carried you through the chairs of the 
Lodge, and have thus elevated you to the dignity of 
membership in the Grand Lodge of your State. 
Jewel. — A five-pointed star. 




CHAPTER XIV. 

OF SUBORDINATE ENCAMPMENTS. 

In this department of our labors, references to our 
former remarks will be necessary in all matters where 
Lodges and Encampments are similar. 



OF SUBORDINATE ENCAMPMENTS. 259 



§ 1. How Commenced and .Constituted. 

To become a member of an Encampment, an Odd- 
Fellow must have received the Scarlet Degree, and 
be in good standing in his Subordinate Lodge. 
G-ood standing* in a Subordinate Lodge is absolutely 
essential to membership in any other body in the 
Order — even in the Sovereign Grand Lodge itself. 
But suspension in the Subordinate Lodge for non- 
payment of dues, does not work suspension in an 
Encampment until one year afterward. 

An Encampment is chartered by the Sovereign 
Grand Lodge of the I. 0. 0. E., or a Grand Encamp- 
ment (recognized by the same) of the State, District, 
or Territory wherein it is located. It must be consti- 
tuted of at least seven Odd-Fellows who have received 
the "Sublime Degrees," as its three degrees are col- 
lectively termed. And it should be commenced and 
organized preparatory to institution, as recommended 
for Subordinate Lodges, Chap. IX., §§ 1-4, with these 
differences. There must be seven petitioners, their 
cards deposited with a D. D. G. Patriarch, if not for- 
warded ; (or a D. D. G. Sire, if to be chartered by the 
Sovereign Grand Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F. ;) and the 
Petition is forwarded to a Grand Encampment, (if 
not to the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F.) 
See form of petition, No. 9, Appendix B. It will be 
instituted by a G. P., or a D. D. G. P., or a P. C. P. 
specially authorized ; by a D. D. G. Sire, if chartered 
by the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F. 

* Which signifies contributing membership therein, and freedom 
from any disability by reason of non-payment of dues, or from 
charges under the penal provisions of the Order. 



260 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



§ 2. Opening — Working — Closing. 

For general information, see Chap. IX. §§ 7-9. The 
Encampment working differs from that of the Lodge 
chiefly in this. The Lodge is of the civic type : the En- 
campment is of the military; but Patriarchal, and 
therefore pastoral, also. The Encampment opens, and 
closes finally, in its highest degree, as it transacts all 
its business in that degree only. It opens and closes in 
each degree (with peculiar ceremonies) which it confers 
during any session. But while the military forms are 
observed in its opening and closing, the business is 
transacted as in the Subordinate Lodge, the officers re- 
cite their duties at opening, and it is always opened and 
closed with prayer by the proper officer. 

With the additional instructions afforded by the 
sublime degrees, the Patriarch will find our general 
remarks on the duties of Odd-Fellows, in Chapters IX. 
and X., applicable to the duties devolving on him as 
an Encampment member. But we must first conduct 
him into that honorable station. 

§ 3. Application and Admission. 

Having received the degrees of the Subordinate 
Lodge, you will naturally desire to advance further. 
The Sublime Degrees, with their rich stores of instruc- 
tion, lie before you, only waiting your application to be 
opened to your eager mind.* Procure, then, a copy of 

* Some Encampments do not, others do, pay sick and funeral 
benefits — generally the same amount as the Subordinate Lodges 
in their vicinity. These benefits, of course, enhance the price of 
admission. The three degrees of an Encampment usually cost 
from nine to twenty dollars. The prices, as well as the benefits, 
vary considerably, not only in different States, but even in neigh 
bor'ng Encampments. 



OF SUBORDINATE ENCAMPMENTS. 



261 



the Constitution and By-Laws of the nearest Encamp- 
ment, and study them by the aid of some friendly 
Patriarch of your acquaintance. Then procure from 
the N. G. and Secretary of your Lodge, a certificate of 
your standing and grade therein. Sign an application, 
(forms are in Appendix B,) and deliver these docu- 
ments, with the proposition fee, to your friend, who 
will do the rest. If elected, go forward with a stout 
heart, fearing nothing ; for others have passed the way 
before you, and invite you onward. Novelty, even 
startling novelty, you will find, as once before; but 
let it not deter you from close attention to the more 
valuable lessons concealed beneath it in every degree 
through which you pass. 

§ 4. Committees and Appointed Officers. 

Their general duties correspond to those of similar 
offices in Subordinate Lodges, (Chaps. XL, XII. and 
XIII.,) so that a few words will define what is peculiar 
to the Officers of Encampments. The Appointed 
Officers are — 

1. First and Second Guards 
of the Tent — appointed by the 
High Priest as his Supporters and 
Messengers — their stations, as Senti- 
nels at each side of the Tent. The 
Jewel of each is a Halberd (Axe) 
within a Triangle of yellow metal. 

2. First, Second, Third, and 
Fourth Watches — appointed by 
the Chief Patriarch to be — the 1st 
and 2d Watches, the R. and L. Sup- 
porters of the C. P. j and the 3d and 
4th, R. and L. Supporters of the S. W. 




262 



THE ODD-FELLOWS MANUAL. 





At initiations, &c, they should remain at their posts. The 
Jewel of each is a Spear within a Triangle of yellow metal. 
3. The Sentinel* — appointed by the C. P. Sta- 
tion and duties like those of Inside 
Guardian of a Lodge. (If an Out- 
side Sentinel is appointed, his station 
and duties are those of an Outside 
Guardian.) Jewel for each, Crossed 
Swords in a Triangle of yellow 
metal. 

4. The Guide — appointed by 
the C. P. His station is in front 
of the 3d Watch — his duties like 
those of Conductor — the Jewel , a 
Staff within a Triangle of yellow 
metal. 

§ 5. The Elective Officers. 
The Elective Officers of an Encampment are — a 
Junior Warden, a Treasurer, a Scribe, a Senior Warden, 
a High Priest, and a Chief Patriarch. Usually service 
for one term, or twenty-six nights, in an appointed 
office, renders eligible to an elective office; and one 
term in any of the inferior elective offices renders the 
incumbent eligible to the chair of the High Priest or 
Senior Warden ; and after one term 
in that office, he is eligible for elec- 
tion as Chief Patriarch; but this 
arrangement depends on the regula- 
tions of each Grand Encampment. 
1. The Junior Warden. — The 

* To lessen the visits of the Junior Warden to the ante-room, (to 
examine and admit members and visitors,) an Outside Sentinel may 
be appointed by the C. P. This, though not contemplated by "the 
work," is countenanced by the Gr. L. U. S. (Jour. 1871, pp. 5200, 
5201,) and is found very convenient in practice. 




OF SUBORDINATE ENCAMPMENTS. 



263 



Jewel of this office is a Crook, within a Triangle of 

yellow metal. 

His duties are, to examine the Patriarchs at opening ; 
to see that the officers are at their stations ; to open and 
close the Encampment in each degree; to assist the 
Chief Patriarch and High Priest as required ; to pre- 
side in the absence of the superior officers, (if the local 
laws permit ;) to examine every brother that applies for 
admission, and see that he is in proper regalia, and 

addresses the chairs properly. His station is in front of 

the 1st Watch. 

2. The Treasurer. — His Jewel 
is Crossed Keys, within a Triangle 
of yellow metal. 

His duties correspond to those of 
the same officer in a Subordinate 
Lodge. 




3. The Scribe. — The Jewel is 
Crossed Pens in a Triangle of yel- 
low metal. 

His duties are the same as those 
of an only Secretary in a Subordi- 
nate Lodge. 

4. The Senior Ward en.— The 
Jewel is Crossed Crooks within a 
Triangle of yellow metal. 

His duties are analogous to those 
of a Vice Grand, whose chair he 
occupies when the Encampment 
meets in a Lodge-room. He presides in the absence 
of the C. P., and is entitled to the T. P. W 




264 



THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 




5. The High Priest. — The 
Jewel is a Breastplate within a 
Triangle : the former may be co- 
lored appropriately, the latter of 
yellow metal. 

His station is within the Tent, 

behind the Altar, and the Tent is 

usually placed at the side of the 

room, on the right of the C. P. 

His duties are to offer up the prescribed prayers at 

opening, closing, and in conferring the degrees ; to 

instruct candidates and members in the Lectures, &c. ; 

and to administer the other duties of his office. 

6. The Chief Patriarch. — 
The Jewel represents an Altar with 
Crossed Crooks, within a Triangle 
of yellow metal. 

His duties are similar to those 
of the Noble Grand of a Lodge, 
whose chair he occupies when the 
Encampment is held in a Lodge- 
room ; and, like him, he is entitled 
to the T. P. W., and superintends the examination of 
visitors by card. He should possess the same high 
moral and social qualifications ; the same mental activity 
and acquirements ; the same business tact and energy ; 
the same intimate acquaintance with the characters and 
abilities of the brethren under his charge ; the same 
ready knowledge of the laws and usages of the Order 
and the rules of debate ; the same dignity of carriage, 
evenness of temper, firm decision, and courtesy of 
manners ; and the same kindness of heart, that are 
pre-eminently required in the Presiding Officer of a 
Lodge. 




OF SUBORDINATE ENCAMPMENTS. 265 



7. " The Encampment Regalia shall be black apron 
and gloves. Patriarchs who have attained the R. P. 
Degree, purple collars or baldrics, trimmed with 
yellow lace or fringe. Past Chief Patriarchs shall 
wear purple collars or sashes, trimmed as above de- 
fined."— Journal G. L. U. S.,p. 4357. 

ISF* For Combined Regalia of P. G. and P. C. P. 
(or P. H. P. if a member of a Grand Encampment), 
see page 250. For Jewel and Regalia of P. G. P., 
see page 320. For Regalia of Uniformed Patriarchs, 
see page 306. And for Street or Parade Regalia for 
Patriarchs, see page 309. 

§ 6. Commanding Order. 

We would repeat here what we have said on the use 
of the Gavel, Chap. XIII. § 9. In the Encampment, 
the officers use their emblems of authority in the same 
manner as the gavel is used in the lodge : always con- 
forming, of course, to the directions of the written work. 
The C. P., only, commands silence and order, and the 
rising and seating of the Encampment, in all those 
cases where the book does not direct otherwise. And 
the Senior Warden assumes to do so only when the 
C. P. is so engaged that he overlooks or cannot attend 
to it. A careful examination of the installation cere- 
mony and the charges, in connection with the above 
remarks, will, it is believed, tend to lessen the per- 
plexity often occasioned by the abuse of the emblem of 
authority, and abate not a little of the unnecessary 
noise occasioned by its too frequent use by the second 
officer. 
23 



%66 THE ODD-FELLOW^ MAKTJAL. 



§ 7. Conferring the Degrees. 

But one degree should be conferred on an applicant 
at any session ; and this should be well and properly 
conferred. Not only impart and use correctly, and 
with precision, the P. W., S. and G., for they are 
the keys which admit a man to the privileges and be- 
nefits of our meetings, but strive also to excel in the 
appropriate manner of delivering our lectures and 
charges, and conferring the Patriarchal degrees. We 
have not yet given sufficient attention to this subject. 
They are of a higher order and different character, and 
require more care than those that have preceded them. 
And yet we have given them less attention and labor. 
Encampments generally have looked at each other, not 
to copy improvements but to justify defects and excuse 
irregularities. If this practice is continued until it be- 
comes general, our course must be downward, and end 
in riot and disorder. 

We have said elsewhere that the Odd-Fellow should 
be always a gentleman, in the proper sense of that 
word. The Patriarch should be especially such, "seri- 
ous and thoughtful." He should ever conduct as one 
in the Encampment, and never subject any one entering 
it to any treatment that is boorish. Every part of our 
Patriarchal work is designed to set forth and illustrate 
serious and important lessons, and to make a salutary 
impression on the minds of our members. But if per- 
formed in a hurried or confused manner, no proper or 
definite impression can be made. If performed in a 
burlesque or trifling mode, it will excite only contempt 
or disgust. By converting serious things into jest, and 
mingling buffoonery with prayers, we lower our own 



OF THE PATRIARCHAL DEGREE. 267 



self-respect and blunt our moral feelings, while we out- 
rage decency and wound the sensibilities of others. If 
we perform the work in a rude, coarse manner, we 
rouse feelings in the candidate directly opposed to those 
it was designed to inspire, destroy the entire effect of 
our beautiful ritual, and wound the feelings of the can- 
didate, if not injure his person, and drive him from us 
disgusted. Depend upon it, that if a public excitement 
is ever got up against our Order, the improper modes 
of performing our work pursued by some Encampments 
will be the fuel to feed its destroying flames. 



CHAPTER XV. 

OF THE PATRIARCHAL DEGREE. 

§ 1. Introduction. 

1. Though teaching peaceful lessons, the Encampment 
assumes military forms. The candidate is therefore 
met with a more rigid scrutiny and in a sterner man- 
ner than on his entrance into the Subordinate Lodge. 
He need not wonder, then, at the strict watch which 
will be kept over him, nor at restraints that will be im- 
posed on him until he has passed the ordeal, and proved 
himself to be no enemy in disguise, but a true Odd-Fel- 
low. Let him rely on the kindness of his guardian to 
sustain and defend him until justice awards him release, 
and the benevolence of the Patriarchs greets him with 
hospitality and fraternal welcomes. 



268 



THE ODD-FELLOW S MANUAL. 




2. From the great trial of Abraham, the Father 
of nations, to the present day, human life has been 
full of troubles and of trials — friends and brothers 
have been mistaken for enemies, and enemies for 
friends. The passionate and impatient, acting from 
impulse instead of reason, only aggravate their 
difficulties ; but he who fails not in duty, acting on 
principle, at last passes beyond the darkness and 
difficulty, and, trusting in God, finds those who 
refresh his spirit, and grant repose. Follow, then, 
in the path of right and duty, travelled by the true 
patriarchs, and their reward will also bless you. 

3. A true Patriarch never closes his tent against a 
stranger in distress. Hospitality is not only a sacred 
but a pleasing duty, acknowledged such in all ages 
and among all nations. As a Patriarch who has 
needed it, be therefore ready to grant it. Our God 



OP THE PATRIARCHAL DEGREE. 269 



is the universal Father. He teaches us to be kind 
even unto the evil and the unthankful, by his sun- 
shine and his rain, which he dispenses to all alike. 
But while it is our duty to minister to the wants 
of the stranger, without inquiring into his country, 
or his creed, or even the causes of his misfortunes, 
it is also a duty we owe to self and family to admit 
no treacherous or vicious person into our confidence, 
or give him power to harm ourselves or others. "We 
have a right, therefore, after relieving immediate 
necessities, to examine carefully the pretensions and 
characters of those with whom we hold intercourse. 
On these principles every Lodge and Encampment 
claims to examine rigidly all who ask admission to 
their mysteries, or claim to enter their portals as 
Odd-Fellows. 

4. And here you will find your previous instruc- 
tions in Odd-Fellowship of essential service to you. 
May you be able to show that you have not been an 
inattentive hearer, nor a heedless performer of their 
inculcations, that you may enter, without difficulty 
or delay, on the privileges and duties now opening 
before you in the Patriarchal Degree. As one who 
has received the Degree of Truth, and thus become 
a representative of the oracle of Truth, you are pre- 
pared to become a shepherd of men, and enter the 
society of Patriarchs, who were herdmen in olden 
time. As a good shepherd, ever instruct men in 
" truth spoken in love." "Warn seasonably of danger. 
Give care and aid to the perishing. Be true and 
kind to all in your charge. Be reverent to aged 
23* 



270 the odd-fellow's manual. 



brethren, and honor jour parents, and thus inherit 
the blessing of your heavenly Father. 

5. We have referred to Abraham, " the Friend of 
God," and to the great trial of his Faith in the 
Divine promise, and his ready obedience because of 
his confiding trust. It is well to imitate that trust 
and obedience in every difficulty and perplexity in 
our life-pilgrimage, as well as the simplicity and 
hospitality of the patriarchal life. Among men, 
like is apt to beget like. Therefore avoid arrogance 
and domination; for " pride goeth before destruc- 
tion, and a haughty spirit before a fall." " A soft 
answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir 
up anger." How well Abraham exemplified this, 
when his and his brother's herdmen engaged in a 
quarrel, which was likely to involve both families. 
But Abraham said unto Lot — " Let there be no 
strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between 
my herdmen and thy herdmen ; for we be brethren. 
Is not the whole land before thee ? Separate thyself, 
I pray thee, from me : if thou wilt take the left 
hand, then I will go to the right; or, if thou depart 
to the right hand, then I will go to the left." G-enesis 
xiii. 8, 9. And the result of this brotherly love was 
prosperity and peace. 

6. A soul so confiding in God, so unselfish toward 
man, could feelingly and yet calmly, in the midst of 
greatest trials, and on the eve of severest sacrifices, 
say with the Psalmist — 

Psalm xxui. 1-5. — The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. 
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside 



OF THE PATRIARCHAL DEGREE. 271 



the still waters. He restoreth my soul : He leadeth me in the paths 
of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through 
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art 
with me ; Thy rod and Thy staif, they comfort me. 

Thus duty becomes a delight, and sacrifice a 
privilege. In Abraham's case, the trial resulted in 
sparing Isaac to fulfil the promise that many nations 
were to come from him, and the great lesson was 
taught Abraham, and through him to his descend- 
ants, and through them to the world, that the only 
true God rejects human sacrifices — will not have 
parents take the lives of their offspring, as accept- 
able to the Father of all. 

Remember, then, that as Abraham was called to 
the service of the true God, and as Isaac was un- 
bound and redeemed from the darkness of death, 
and as the Patriarchs of old were men of faith and 
fortitude, if you would really and truly imitate their 
virtues and inherit the same blessings, you must 
shake off debasing errors, and be made free with the 
life and liberty our God requires us to exercise and 
to enjoy. 

****** ** * 

7. Having qualified yourself to assume the highest 
duties of manhood, and become a shepherd of men, 
and a patriarch among Patriarchs, imitate the Trust 
and Obedience of Abraham, and emulate the Hospi- 
tality and other virtues of Patriarchal life. It 
should be the aim of your life, for by it only can 
the great and good in your nature be developed. 
All the feelings, passions, and impulses lead only 
to evil, without it. But with it, all tend to good, 



272 the odd-fellow's manual. 



to happiness, which vice promises but never bestows. 
Virtue increases and exalts even the common joys 
of sense. Its influence extends to all the vocations 
of life, strengthens the affections and sympathies, 
gives wisdom to youth, activity to manhood, and 
glory to age : it is a safeguard in prosperity, a solace 
in adversity, a comforter in affliction : it opens to 
us every true enjoyment of life, and passes with us 
into life eternal. 

§ 2. Concluding Remarks, 

8. Having taken the Crook as the symbol and 
token of your profession, let it ever remind you of 
the simplicity of the Patriarchal life, and the purity 
of faith by wmich the Patriarchs were guided. 
What a pleasing picture in contemplating antiquity ! 
The world has advanced in civilization and knowl- 
edge, but still the heart looks back with regret at 
its departure from those simpler, though ruder 
habits of early virtue and goodness. In our Tents 
we may revive much of what thus charms us. And 
in our lives we may copy that confiding faith and 
guileless simplicity. By practising universal frater- 
nity, we may extend further and further around us, 
the golden links which chain heart to heart in a 
stronger and broader sympathy, till at last they 
bind the earth in concord of virtue and peace. 

To effect this, let each heart combine its wishes 
and energies with every other heart having the 
same object, irrespective of sect or nation, that all 
may work together for the general good. Cherish, 
then, the teachings of our Order, till your soul, 



OF THE PATRIARCHAL DEGREE. 273 



imbued with their spirit, gives forth their beauty 
and their power. Consider the stranger still as a 
man : give him needed sustenance and repose, what- 
ever his country or his creed, his vices or misfor- 
tunes, that you may influence him for good. But 
your brother Patriarchs, let them especially share 
your sympathy and experience your aid. Unite 
with them in all good works. Let not contention 
or envy separate you, for ye are brethren. If one 
injure you, consider well — it may have been un- 
designedly, or under some misconception. Be candid 
with him, and frank. State the wrong fairly and 
kindly. If he repent, wipe off even the remem- 
brance of the wrong, that it stand not against him. 
Remember that you, too, are fallible; that you, too, 
may need kindly correction ; that you, too, may 
stand in need of fraternal forgiveness. 

Such are the principles a Patriarch must practise. 
Not alone entering our Tents, not alone learning 
our mysteries, not alone wearing our badge, not 
alone bearing the offices and honors of our Order, 
can make a man an Odd-Fellow; but living an Odd- 
Fellow's life. "If ye know these things, happy aro 
ye if ye do them." 

§ 8. Regalia and Color. 
The Regalia of the Patriarchal Degree is a black 
apron and black gloves ; for the Color of this Degree 
is black. 

S 



OF THE GOLDEN RULE DEGREE. 275 



CHAPTER XVI. 

OF THE GOLDEN RULE DEGREE. 

§ 1. Introduction. 

1. The candidate for this Degree should be firm 
and decided in his answers to all questions asked 
him, and patient in all required of him, that he 
may the better understand its instructions as they 
are successively unfolded : especially its great lesson 
of charity, evinced in what is usually termed tol- 
eration. 

2. Behold the necessity of this lesson in our 
world. Religion is often measured by State lines 
and regulated by statute law. The Christianity 
which is lawful on one side of a mountain, or 
stream, or even an imaginary line, is punished with 
confiscation, imprisonment, or death, on the other 
side. Does G-od require this at the hands of one 
portion of his children toward the other portion, 
their brethren ? Has he instituted such laws : does 
he inflict such penalties for differences of opinion ? 
For when did not persecution and intolerance rather 
confirm than convince those against whom it was 
waged? A standing proof, it would seem, that 
Providence would rather prosper wrong ideas than 
bloody practices. Error of the head, even though 
it mislead the heart, appears more favored than that 



276 



bloody zeal which would immolate on its altar a 
brother who is deemed in error. 

3. Do you not desire that a better principle should 
govern sects and individual worshippers in their 
actions toward each other ? An observance of the 
Golden Bule — " Whatsoever you would that men 
should do unto you, do ye even so unto them " — 
how would it gently remove, not only the fetters of 
the body, but those which bind the soul also, so that 
the mind could fully examine Truth, and trample 
on the prejudices which deprive the free-born soul 
of its birthright. Then could each child seek after 
its heavenly Parent freely, and worship him volun- 
tarily, as the best information might lead judgment 
and conscience to dictate. 

Brethren, let this be our work. Boldly, freely, 
unawed by danger, let us assert our right to seek and 
obey divine truth : assert it not only as our right, but 
as the right of others, of all. The authority of con- 
science in religion must be paramount. Those high 
moral affections and duties which have the Creator 
as their object, no human legislation can or should 
restrain or suppress. In our Tents no sectarian 
or national distinctions are recognized. All are 
entitled to the rights which each claims for himself. 
All are equal, all are brethren: owning one origin, 
one nature, one destiny. Living the same life, one 
interest thrills alike in eveiw heart. If our brother 
suffer, we feel his anguish ; if he prosper, we share 
his joy. The pains and woes of each swell the 
common tide of humanity's evils, in which we have 
an equal share and a common lot. All our rights 



OF THE GOLDEN RULE DEGREE. 277 



are based on the same great foundation. He, there- 
fore, who assails a brother's rights, attacks our own : 
an invasion of his welfare is an aggression on ours ; 
for our rights are the same, and our happiness is 
increased by the enjoyments of those who surround 
us. It is our recognition of this great principle 
that leads us to claim and to grant sympathy in suffer- 
ing, unity in working, freedom in thought and 
worship, and to resist the force that would invade 
the natural rights of the human soul. 

*-'***-* *-*- v * 

4. But how slowly does that Golden Rule find a 
home in the minds and hearts of men I How averse 
are worshippers of even the same Deity, but of 
differing sects, to practise its salutary and divine 
injunctions! Look over the world of mankind, 
and see the dissensions, and hates, and strifes, its 
neglect occasions. 

5. Here is the White Race, everywhere dominant 
— everywhere spreading abroad from its Asiatic 
birthplace ; leaving behind it the land of Adam, 
of Noah, of Abraham, and of Moses to be occupied 
by hordes in various stages of semi-barbarism, and 
divided in their religious faith between the Law, 
the Cross, and the Crescent. And the emigrating 
and spreading Whites are likewise divided into 
sects, as hostile to each other as the hordes they 
have left behind. 

There, in Southern Asia, behold a Brown Race, 
greatly learned in science and skilled in arts, and 
worshipping in splendid temples — but alas, it is 
pagan in its worship, and intolerant in its zeal, and 

24 



278 the odd-fellow's manual. 



especially severely strict in its severing and dividing 
lines of hereditary caste. 

And then comes the Yellow Race — the Mon- 
golians, w T ho also inhabit Asia — who worship as 
directed by Confucius, and by pagan rites. Their 
mental advancement, and wonderful handiwork in 
manufactures, have not yet freed their hearts and 
minds from cruelty and intolerance. 

Turn we to the Red Race, mostly ignorant of 
letters and art — subsisting by the use of the bow 
and arrow — worshipping the elements, the sun, 
moon, and stars as the agents and emblems of the 
Great Spirit. 

And behold Africa, the land of the Black Race — 
generally barbarians, mostly intolerant and cruel, 
almost as a matter of course. 

6. All these races appear to be advancing onward 
in civilization, but how slowly ! The human race 
is progressing by their skill in workmanship and 
ingenuity in devising, and their increasing intelli- 
gence. And all recognize some creating Power and 
Providence, and aim to honor and propitiate it by 
their worship. But how many are ready, in their 
bigotry and intolerant zeal, to persecute unto death 
all who differ from them, and dare to avow a faith 
diverse from that which they profess. Yet duty to 
solemn convictions of truth and right — to conscience 
and the welfare of humanity — oft demand the frank 
and sincere avowal of a purer and better faith, 
though at the risk of martyrdom. The time will 
come when the blood of the martyrs will be the 
seed of a true church — one respecting the rights of 



OF THE GOLDEN RULE DEGREE. 279 



conscience, the freedom of the soul, and the duty of 
obedience to the Golden Rule. The following Para- 
ble, generally ascribed to Dr. Franklin, and familiar 
to the schoolboy of the passing generation, sets forth 
very beautifully the inconsistency and wickedness 
of a persecuting spirit. 

PARABLE AGAINST PERSECUTION. 

Aram was sitting at the door of his tent, under the shade of his 
fig-tree, when it came to pass that a man, stricken with years, bear- 
ing a staff in his hand, journeyed that way. And it was noonday. 
And Aram said unto the stranger, " Pass not by, I pray thee, but 
come in, and wash thy feet, and tarry here until the evening ; for 
thou art stricken with years, and the heat overcometh thee." 

And the stranger left his staff at the door, and entered into the 
tent of Aram. And he rested himself. And Aram set before him 
bread and cakes of fine meal, baked upon the hearth. And Aram 
blessed the bread, calling upon the name of the Lord. But the 
stranger did eat, and refused to pray unto the Most High, saying, 
" Thy Lord is not the God of my fathers, why, therefore, should I 
present my vows unto him?" And Aram's wrath was kindled, and 
he called his servants, and they beat the stranger, and drove him 
into the wilderness. 

Now in the evening Aram lifted up his voice unto the Lord, and 
prayed unto him. And the Lord said, "Aram, where is the stranger 
that sojourned this day with thee ? " And Aram answered and said, 
"Behold, Lord, he ate of thy bread, and would not offer unto thee 
his prayers and thanksgivings. Therefore did I chastise him and 
drive him from before me into the wilderness." 

And the Lord said unto Aram, " Who hath made thee a judge be- 
tween me and him? Have not I borne with thine iniquities, and 
winked at thy backsliding ; and shalt thou be severe with thy bro- 
ther, to mark his errors and to punish his perverseness ? Arise, and 
follow the stranger, and carry with thee oil and wine, and anoint his 
bruises, and speak kindly unto him. For I, the Lord thy God, am a 
jealous God, and judgment belongeth unto me. Vain is thine obla- 
tion of thanksgiving without a lowly heart. As a bulrush thou 
mayest bow down thy head, and lift up thy voice like a trumpet; 



280 the odd-fellow's manual. 



but thou obeyest not the ordinance of thy God if thy worship be for 
strife and debate. Behold the sacrifice that I have chosen. Is it 
not to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and to 
break every yoke ? to deal thy bread to the hungry, and to bring 
the poor that are cast out to thy house ?" 

And Aram trembled before the presence of God. And he arose, 
and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the wilderness to 
do as the Lord had commanded him.* 

* It is said that Dr. Franklin was at a large party among several 
dignitaries of the Church of England, when the subject of compel- 
ling conformity to an established church, by lav/, was introduced. 
After several of the clergy had defended the obnoxious principle, 
the doctor was called on for his opinion. He recited to them, as 
Scripture, the above parable; and they, deceived by its style, and 
the doctor's gravity, suspected not the deception, but acknowledged 
its force, and yielded the argument. 

Whether the occasion and result were exactly as above stated, or 
not, it is true that the parable was published as Dr. Franklin's, and 
that it was alleged that he stole it from Jeremy Taylor, who closes 
his work on the " Liberty of Prophesying," with the following ver- 
sion of the same story. 

" I end," says he, " with a story which I find intne Jews' books : — 
When Abraham sat at his tent-door, according to his custom, to 
entertain strangers, he espied an old man who was an hundred years 
of age. He received him kindly, washed his feet, provided supper, 
and caused him to sit down : but observing that the old man ate and 
prayed not, nor begged for a blessing on his meat, asked him why he 
did not worship the God of heaven ? The old man told him that he 
worshipped the fire only, and acknowledged no other God ; at which 
Abraham grew so zealously angry, that he thrust the old man out 
of his tent, and exposed him to all the evils of the night, and an un- 
guarded condition. 

" When the old man was gone, God called to Abraham, and asked 
him where the stranger was ? He replied, ' I thrust him away, be- 
cause he did not worship thee.' God answered, ' I have suffered 
him these hundred years* although he dishonored me, and couldst 
not thou endure him one night, when he gave thee no trouble ?' Upon 
this, saith the story, Abraham fetched him back again, and gave 
him hospitable entertainment and wise instruction. 'Go thou and 



OF THE GOLDEN KULE DEGREE. 281 



7. Leaving the discordant world of sects, now 
survey, in contrast, any body of men where the 
Golden Rule prevails. A Lodge or an Encampment 

do likewise,' and thy charity will be rewarded by the God of Abra- 
ham." 

Now here, it must be confessed, is the story, leaving to Dr. Frank- 
lin only its dress and its interesting auxiliaries. That the doctor 
did not himself claim to be the author of the story is rendered highly 
probable from the fact that it is not found in the authentic edition 
of his works, published by Wm. Duane, Philadelphia. But the orig- 
inal, from whence Jeremy Taylor got his version ? It is given in 
Dr. Priestly's works, quoted in Latin from " Shebeth Jehudah. The 
Tribe of Judah, the Virgin Daughter of Solomon ; containing the va- 
rious Calamities, Martyrdoms, Dispersions, &c, of the Jews. Trans- 
lated from Hebrew into Latin, by George Gentius. Hamburg, 1680." 
A friend has furnished us with the following translation: 

"The most noble author Sadus relates that that venerable exam- 
ple of antiquity, the patriarch Abraham, celebrated for the glory of 
hospitality, thought it not happy nor fortunate for him, unless he had 
received some guest, whom, as a presiding genius of his houehold, 
he might serve with all kind offices. Once upon a time, when he had 
no guest, and had sent abroad to seek for a stranger, he perceived a 
man bowed down with years and wearied with travelling, lying 
under a tree. Approaching him, he led him home as his guest, and 
cherished him with every attention. When the supper was ready, 
and Abraham and his family addressed themselves to prayer, the old 
man stretched forth his hand to the food, making no show of religion 
or piety. Seeing which, Abraham thus addressed him : ' Old man, 
it scarcely becomes thy white hairs to take food without previous ven- 
eration of the Deity.' To whom the old man replied, ' I am a fire- 
worshipper, and ignorant of that sort of manners, for our fathers 
have never taught me such piety.' At which words, Abraham, horri- 
fied that he had intercourse with a fire-worshipper, as one profane 
and a stranger to the worship of his God, removed him from the table, 
and drove him from his house, as an offence to his company, and 
an enemy to his religion. But behold, the Great God at that mo- 
ment admonished Abraham. ' What dost thou, Abraham ? Becomes 
it thee to have done this? J have given this old man, although un- 
24* 



282 the odd-fellow's manual. 



of Odd-Fellows, shows that it is possible for brethren 
of diverse faiths to meet and work together in 
" unity of spirit," and " in the bonds of peace." 

grateful to me, life and sustenance for more than a hundred years ; 
canst thou not give the man one meal, nor bear with him even a mo- 
ment?' Being thus admonished by the Divine voice, Abraham 
brought back the old man from his journey, and attended him with 
such kind offices, piety, and converse, that by his example he led 
him to the worship of the true God." 

Such is the version of 1680. The original of all, by " the most no- 
ble author Sadus," (believed to be Arabic,) — who will furnish that? 

Long as this note already is, we cannot refrain from adding to it 
the following appropriate parable by Krummacher. 

"THE PARSEE, THE JEW, AND THE CHRISTIAN. 

" A Jew stepped into a Parsee temple, and saw there the holy fire. 
He spake to the priest: What! do you worship the fire? Not the 
fire, replied the priest : it is to us an emblem of the sun, and of its 
genial light. Then asked the Jew, Do you then worship the sun as 
your God ? Do you not know that this also is a creation of the 
Almighty ? That we know, answered the priest ; but man being 
dependent on his senses, needs sensible signs in order to apprehend 
the Most High. And is not the sun the type of the invisible, in- 
comprehensible Source of light that embraces and blesses all? 

" Then the Israelite answered : Do your people, then, distinguish 
the type from the prototype ? Already they call the sun their god, 
and even sinking from this again to a lower image, bow before the 
earthly flame. You charm his external, and dazzle his internal 
eye ; and while you hold up before him the earthly light, you with- 
draw from him the heavenly. You should not make unto thee any 
image, nor any likeness at all. 

" How then, asked the Parsee, do you designate the highest na- 
ture? The Jew replied, We call it Jehovah Adonai, that is, the 
Lord who is, who was, and who will be ! Your word is great and 
glorious, said the Parsee, but it is fearful. 

"A Christian then stepped up and said, We call him Our Father. 
The Gentile and the Jew looked on each other with amazement, and 
said, That is the nearest, and the highest. But who gives you the 



OP THE GOLDEN RULE DEGREE. 283 



The high walls of division in the outer world, 
which separated men from each other, are here re- 
moved; for the brethren have travelled into the 
warmth and light of the Golden Rule. They have 
left their prejudices at the outer door, and here, 
and now, mingle in the bonds of the brotherhood 
of humanity, for the sake of harmony and peace. 
The descendants of Abraham, the various differing 
followers of Jesus, the Pariahs of stricter sects, 
here gather around the same altar, as one family, 
manifesting no differences of creed or worship, and 
discord and contention are forgotten in works of 
humanity and peace. Such scenes lead the lover of 
God and of mankind to sigh, " Oh, when shall the 
warrior's spear be broken, and his sword rest within 
its scabbard, and the united thoughts and energies 
of man be given to the service of humanity in the 
cultivation of fraternal love, justice, mercy, and 
true righteousness — to the service of God, in seek- 
ing to know him better, to love him more, and to 
serve and obey him in all things I" 

8. And that glorious and blessed era will yet come. 
Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles have not predicted 
it in vain. Good men and true will not lose the 
labor with which they have sought to effect it. And 



courage thus to address the eternal ? Who else, said the Christian, 
but He, the Father himself? ***** 

"And when they understood it they believed, and lifted up their 
eyes joyfully toward heaven, and said, full of fervor and spirit, 
Father ! dear Father ! 

" And now all three shook hands, and called themselves 
Brothers," 



284 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



the principle of Toleration, based on fraternity > as 
combined with the active benevolence of our beloved 
Order, will enable us to be co-workers with them in 
hastening its coming. Hence let us ever remember 
that, from whatever cause, men do not think, any 
more than they look alike. And while we tolerate 
neither laxity of principle nor viciousness of con- 
duct, we may safely allow each man to form and 
profess his own opinions, while we unite with him 
in practising those great precepts which belong to 
all religions, and which all acknowledge to be para- 
mount as rules of life. The Golden Rule finds a 
ready response in every conscience. All will assent 
to its rightfulness and its importance. Let us then 
not cease its practice, while we urge the reasons for 
our faith. On it let us all unite in furthering the 
mission of Odd-Fellowship, till man everywhere 
shall behold in every fellow-man a brother; till 
all shall realize that Sin is the worst evil, and 
Hatred the worst sin, to individuals and to the 
race ; till mankind shall indeed be one family, and 
one great law, the law of Love, shall bind conti- 
nents, isles, and nations in one community forever. 
For this " consummation, devoutly to be wished,'' 
let us hope, labor, and ever pray unto that God who 
is Love, even the Father of all. 

§ 2. Regalia and Color. 

The Regalia of the Golden Rule Degree is a black 
apron trimmed with gold or yellow lace or fringe — 
emblematic of the Degree, the color of which is gold. 



OF THE ROYAL PURPLE DEGREE. 287 



CHAPTER XVII. 

OF THE ROYAL PURPLE DEGREE. 

§ 1. Summary of Preceding Degrees. 

1. Each degree has its special lesson for the can- 
didate, but each special lesson is only part of a well- 
digested, closely connected, and harmonious system 
of social morals. The Herdman needs religious trust 
and obedience, and human hospitality. And the 
Patriarch, in teaching divine truth, needs toleration 
— the hospitality of thought. Application of the 
Golden Rule, in the spirit of a broad love of human- 
ity, will lead to desires for " that rest which re- 
maineth for the people of Grod " — the Rest of Faith 
— the prelibation of the Rest of heaven itself. This 
is taught in this sublime Degree — which is but a 
shadowing of our life-pilgrimage in search of rest. 
And by this Rest is not meant indolence — not cessa- 
tion of action of mind or heart — but the earthly 
foretaste of the heavenly rest. For Heaven is the 
Reality of what Regeneration prefigures. That 
heavenly, purely spiritual repose, is only a higher, 
greater freedom in which to exercise our powers 
aright — easily — willingly — joyfully ! 

" Rest is not quitting 
The busy career : 
Rest is the fitting 

Of self for its sphere. 
* * * * # 



288 the odd-fellow's manual. 



"'Tis loving and serving 
The Highest and Best ! 
'T is Onward ! unswerving — 
And that is true rest." 

§ 2. Introduction to the Degree. 

1. Let all who are weary of ill-doing, and heavy 
laden with doubt and error, seek the unwearying 
activity of true righteousness, and the calm search 
after truth and Divine assurance : such will find rest 
to their souls. And they will find it only by travel- 
ling the road the Patriarchs trod before them. 

2. There is no true, real rest on earth. Once 
entered on life, all is toil and trouble, from infancy 
to old age. We are enticed and hurried onward, 
and still onward, without power of halting to enjoy 
the beautiful and pleasing of present time on the 
journey. The child enjoys not the sunshine of a 
mother's caress, he longs to be a youth. The youth 
is beguiled from his gladsome sports by the wish to 
become a man. The man is impelled onward, yet 
onward, through perils, struggling and striving 
ever after enjoyments which flee as he pursues, and 
burst in his grasp. And thus the restless spirit is 
impelled on life's swift current, till it is merged in 
the ocean of eternity ! 

3. But you are strong in body and stout in heart, 
and the experience of others is nought to you. You 
hope for a better fate than has been won by those 
who preceded you. The wreck of their joys will 
save you from their disasters ; the wild torrents 
that overwhelmed them, you feel strong to stem. 
Be it as you say. Onward, then, and God speed 



OF THE ROYAL PURPLE DEGREE. 



289 



you in your laudable endeavors, and furnish you 
with good guidance and sure protection. 

4. If true principle, combined with stern integ- 
rity, be your guide and safeguard in the journey, all 
will be well. However derided by the worldly- 
wise, and abused by the imprudent, it alone can 
lead you through the intricacies of your path, and 
deliver you from the temptations that would allure 
you from your onward course. 

-x- # * ■* # -x- -x- * 




5. Onward, but be wary. Narrow and rough 
though the path be, it is better than the broad and 
flower-strewn way that leads to death. Press on, 
though obstacles increase, and the gloom thickens, 
and the dark forests threaten to shut out the day. 
Seek not ease, pilgrim, for it can be obtained only 
at the risk of delay and perhaps destruction. 

6. Be principle still your guide. If Sensuality 

25 T 



290 the odd-fellow's manual. 



calls, in siren tones and songs of mirth, opening 
an easy road beneath your feet, turn not in. Look 
down, and behold serpents twined among the roses ; 
note that the laughter is that of giddy intoxication ; 
see the iron bauds concealed in the flower-wreaths, 
rusting into flesh, and mind and heart. Oh, there 
is no canker equal to sensual lust 1 If Ambition 
invites to worldly glory, behold beneath her robes 
meek humanity bleeding in the dust ! Turn from 
her chaplet, crimsoned with the blood of brethren 
slain ; and her laurels, watered with the tears of 
widowed mothers and orphaned babes. " He that 
taketh the sword shall perish by the sword." The 
spirit of fell destruction that would lure thee on to 
fame, will as readily pile thy corpse on a heap of 
slain, a monument to another's honor. No, no ; let 
useful aims engross your energies, that the world 
may feel you have not lived in vain. And be your 
journey long or short, " the great teacher, Death," 
is neared at last, before whose scrutinizing eye all 
your life-deeds will gather darkness and rust, unless 
they were wrought in love aud goodness. Be firm, 
then, in principle, and you may hope for the best. 
A rugged path is traversed at last, and when the 
waning light of old age is reached, you will retro- 
spect your journey and find it short, for life is brief 
at most. Passing the critical period of life w^hich 
establishes its character, you turn the hill, and 
begin its descent. Rapidly now you approach the 
great aim — rest, the only true rest. 

7. Yet deem not all trials past. Many, indeed, 
sink exhausted before they reach this stage. A 



0E THE ROYAL PURPLE DEGREE. 291 



few troubles are jet in the distance, which, if passed 
safely, will leave the way to peace and glory all 
open before you. 

8. Your progress now will be more equable, less 
exciting. Experience has calmed the tumult of 
your spirits and sobered your expectations. The 
storm of death may soon burst upon you, but you 
will not fear it : it will but prepare you for a purer 
atmosphere beyond. Besides, on its retiring gloom 
is set the signet bow of Hope, placed there by the 
hand of our covenant-keeping Father. 

9. Your guide must soon leave you. In other 
words, Faith must give place to Knowledge, Hope 
to Fruition. However serviceable in this world of 
shadows and blindness, they imperfectly represent 
the glorious realities beyond. Those of defective 
judgment and wayward passions may lay their own 
errors at the door of their guide; but he who has 
truly followed the leadings of a divine Faith and 
Hope can better judge their worth as teachers and 
comforters here, and guides to the great realities 
on high. 

10. But better even their imperfect teachings than 
the starless night of their, absence; better their 
guidance than wandering unled, through snares and 
pitfalls, passion-tost and impulse-driven, unto de- 
struction without them. They bring to cheering 
music and to joyous light the wandering soul at 
last. 

11. Happy they who, admitted to the company 
of departed patriarchs of time, are permitted to sit 
down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, at the feast 



292 THE ODD-FELLO\V 5 S MANUAL. 



of Heaven's kingdom. It may be said of them, 
" Ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city 
of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ; and to 
an innumerable company of angels ; to the general 
assembly and church of the first-born, which are 
written in heaven ; and to God, the Judge of all ; 
and to the spirits of just men made perfect."* 

12. In imagination place yourself there, and re- 
view the probable pilgrimage of your life. Such 
reviews may be salutary to your real future. 

The progress, so tedious at the time, how rapid I 
The discipline, so sharp, how purifying ! All ex- 
cellence gained has been the result of toil; all 
perfection acquired, the fruit of suffering. How 
blinded are we, not only to danger, but to good 1 
What childish desires, restless and unsatisfiable, 
impel us onward! What bubbles we grasp after; 
what bubbles burst in our grasp ! " What shadows 
we are, and what shadows we pursue I" Thus, from 
our first feeble wail in the cradle, to the last groan 
on the bed of death, " all is vanity and vexation of 
spirit." And Death is at our side through it all : 
watching the first breath we draw, implanting dis- 
ease in our sustenance, impregnating the vital air 
with his breath ; he pursues us steadily to the close, 
and triumphs at last. How necessary, then, to 
realize these facts, that we may sedulously practise 
those principles which alone can convert his con- 
quest into our triumph, and make us more than con- 
querors over this last enemy. 

* Hebrews xii. 22, 23. 



OF THE ROYAL PURPLE DEGREE. 293 



§ 3. Concluding Remarks. 
13. Let us be Patriarchs, then, in deed, and not 
in name only. Let us contemplate with reverence 
all that is good, and copy all that is laudable, in 
the characters and lives of those ancient worthies. 
They were faithful, confiding in the veracity of Him 
who promised. They showed their faith by works, 
not by professions only. What a glorious galaxy is 
furnished in the Epistle to the Hebrews 1 

14. SCRIPTURE LESSON. 

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than 
Cain, by which be obtained witness that he was righteous, God 
testifying of his gifts ; and by it he, being dead, yet speaketh. By 
faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death: and was 
not found, because God had translated him : for before his trans- 
lation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, 
moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house ; by 
the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the right- 
eousness which is by faith. By faith Abraham, when he was 
called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an 
inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whither he 
went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a 
strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the 
heirs with him of the same promise : for he looked for a city which 
hath foundations, whose maker and builder is God. 

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 
By faith Jacob, when he was a-dying, blessed both the sons of 
Joseph, and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith 
Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the chil- 
dren of Israel : and gave commandment concerning his bones. By 
faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his 
parents, because they saw he was a proper child, and they were 
not afraid of the king's commandment. By faith Moses, when he 
was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's 
25* 



294 



daughter ; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of 
God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. By faith the 
Israelites passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, which the 
Egyptians essaying to do were drowned. 

And what shall I more say ? for the time would fail me to tell of 
Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephtha, of David 
also, and of Samuel, and of the prophets, who through faith sub- 
dued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped 
the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge 
of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in 
fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. — Hebrews xi. 4, 5, 
7-10, 20-25, and 29-34. 

15. Such are the men we should imitate in their 
adherence to true worship, in their fidelity to duty, 
in their devotion to the interests of posterity, and 
in their hopefulness for the future. Virtues like 
these are of more worth than many jewels or heaps 
of gold — are the only true riches and honors of the 
soul, and will furnish comfort and peace when all 
else on earth fades from the grasp and vanishes 
from the sight. 

16. In concluding our remarks upon this highest 
degree of the Subordinates, we cannot but congratu- 
late you on its reception. If the teachings imparted 
have been duly impressed on your mind, your time 
and labor will not have been devoted in vain. And 
we trust that as your mind, thus freighted, advances 
in moral investigation, the light within you may 
grow " brighter and brighter unto the perfect day," 
until faith is truly swallowed up in knowledge, and 
hope in fruition, and charity survives — immortal, 
blissful, and all in all. 



OF THE ROYAL PURPLE DEGREE. 



295 



§ 4. Regalia and Color. 
The Regalia of " Patriarchs who have attained 
the Royal Purple Degree " is "purple collars or bald- 
rics , trimmed with yellow lace or fringe. Past 
Chief Patriarchs shall wear purple collars or sashes 
trimmed as above defined." Black gloves shall be 
worn, if any. The name of the Degree indicates its 
color — Royal Purple. 

§ 5. Emblems of the Encampment 
The emblems assigned to the sublime degrees of 
the Patriarchs are — 




I. The Three Pillars. 

Emblems of Faith, Hope, Charity: — the Wisdom, 
Strength, and Beauty of Religion, and the supports 
and ornaments of our Temple of Universal Brother- 
hood. 

Every time we enter an Encampment they remind 
us of the Wisdom of humility, the Strength of 
trust, and the Beauty of kindness which brought 
us to the emblematic Tent, and before its solemn 
Altar. And they teach us to cherish and cultivate 
these treasures and virtues of the soul, by au obser- 



296 the odd-fellow's manual. 



vance of the Great Law of duty to G-od, duty to our 
neighbor, and duty to ourselves. 

II. The Tent. 

Emblem of Hospitality: — A prominent emblem of 
this Degree. It is always represented open, to re- 
mind us that when we needed hospitality we found 
it, and should, therefore, be ready to grant it when 
needed by others. But while it is our duty, and 
should be our pleasure to " entertain strangers," we 
are admonished that we owe it to ourselves and our 
families to admit " no enemy in disguise " — no 
treacherous or vicious person, to our homes and our 
bosoms. 

This emblem discourses " to us of the ancient 
patriarchs, who abode in tents ;" and teaches us, 
"that in this world we have no continuing city," 
but are "pilgrims and sojourners" who seek one to 
come. " Soon will our earthly tents be struck, and 
we pass beyond the swelling waters." 

" Here, in this body pent, 

Absent from heaven I roam, 
Yet nightly pitch my tent 

A day's march nearer home." 

III. The Pilgrim's Scrip, Sandals, and Staff. 

The scrip to contain the food wherewith to nourish 
the body and repair its waste — the sandals to protect 
the feet from the rocky path, and stony way, and 
burning sands of the desert — and the staff to speed 
the footsteps, or uphold the weary body, or to feel 
out obstacles in the darkness — all these speak to us 



OF THE ROYAL PURPLE DEGREE. 297 



of preparations for a journey, not of a day, but of a 
life — not measured by miles, but by years — not 
from place to place, but from the cradle to the coffin. 
And if we would be true pilgrims we must use 
these preparations and aids to walk in the ways of 
Truth and Righteousness, with Patriarchal zeal, 
and faith, and virtue — food to nourish "the inner 
man ;" our feet " shod with the preparation of the. 
gospel of peace ;" our frames upheld and our steps 
impelled by the Rod and the Staff of our God. 

IV. The Altar of Sacrifice. 
This carries the mind back to the pure and simple 
worship of the Patriarchs, who deemed no gift of 
God to them, in flock or herd, or in product of field 
and vine or tree, to be too precious to be returned 
to Him in gratitude-offering. And the heart thus 
made grateful by the Divine Goodness, was as 
prompt and ready to yield obedience to the com- 
mands of God. The emblem, then, speaks to us of 
sincere, heartfelt, soul-full worship, and of obe- 
dience as the best offering; and declares that no 
duty, no deed of well-doing, should be neglected or 
evaded to indulge in any personal gratification or 
individual interest. 

V. The Tables of Stone, Cross, and Crescent. 

Emblem of Divine Government: — It represents the 
common basis of the three great religions of the 
world (Judaism, Christianity, Mohammedanism) 
which recognize the One, only living and True God 
— and the foundation of all governments which 



298 the odd-fellow's manual. 



acknowledge GTod as the Ruler of nations, and the 
interests and welfare of the human race as their end 
and aim. This Law is a constantly operating fact 




in the progress of religions and of human govern- 
ments among men, teaching us faith and trust in 
the Divine Euler. 

This common basis of religion and of morals 
teaches Christians that having received so much 
through the Jew, they may well bear with his sup- 
posed deficiency until they can impart to him again ; 
and the Moslem, that the foundation on which he 
stands is also the common ground of the others ; 
and the Jew, as his Law progresses among the 
nations, moulding legislation and elevating morality, 
even while he is without a national home, it in- 
structs in patience and in hope, and to follow with 
his love wheresoever his Law goes in blessing and 
in triumph. 

Followers of different Teachers, ye are worship- 
pers of one God, who is Father of all, and therefore 



OF THE ROYAL PURPLE DEGREE. 299 



ye are brethren! As such, Charity, and speaking the 
truth in love, should prevail among us — unity in 
good works, wherein all agree ; toleration in opinions, 
wherein w r e differ. 




VI. The Altar of Incense. 

It carries our mind forward to what it so beauti- 
fully represents — spiritual worship — when, under 
the influence and teachings of the Golden Rule, 
however men may differ in doctrines and forms, 
when they meet to worship, together, the Father 
of all, they will unite to " worship Him in spirit 
and in truth," and " in the beauty of holiness." 

And it further instructs us that " God now re- 
quires His people to offer unto Him the incense of 
prayer and praise, of gratitude and thanksgiving :" 
and that among the " acceptable sacrifices of God, 
are a broken spirit : a broken and a contrite heart " 
lie will not despise. " Therefore, if thou bring thy 



300 the odd-fellow's manual. 



gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy 
brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy 
gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be recon- 
ciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." 
—Matt. v. 23, 24. 

We conclude our remarks on the sublime degrees 
with the following Ode, which appeared originally 
in the Golden Rule, signed " Luof," and dated at 
Canandaigua, S". Y. 

THE PILGRIMAGE OF LIFE. 

Hail, Patriarchs of high degree, 

The watch is set, the password given! 
A Son of Nimrod, bold and free, 

Shall guide and guard the way to heaven. 
The Pilgrim-stranger travels on, 

O'er hill and stream, a weary way ; 
Through night and storm, yet cries, " Go on! 

Till I behold the perfect day." 

Life's rough and thorny way is trod, 

Death's narrow bridge is nobly won, 
The bright Pavilion of our God 

Gleams in the distant horizon! 
Hark ! clashing arms assail our ears — 

The battle of the last great day 
Is o'er; let Pilgrims dry their tears, 

March boldly on their bright'ning way. 

Hark ! Pilgrim, pause — the balmy air 

Breathes music sweet as seraphs sing 
Now, distant, far — and now, more near, 

Throughout the Camp loud anthems ring? 
Hark! the full chorus pealing out 

From conq'ring legions, pure and brave, 
Like many waters, thundering, shout — 

•■' Where is thy victory, boasting grave ? " 



OF UNIFORMED PATRIARCHS. 301 



Bright Seraphim, who guard the Tent, 

We kneel before the Holy Place ! 
Then let the purple vail be rent, 

Behold your Chief with open face ! 
Rise, Patriarchs, rise ! Behold in me 

The Centre of your mystic ring — 
Your Password through eternity — 

Melchisedek, your Priest and King!' 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

OF UNIFORMED PATRIARCHS. 

§ 1. Origin and Progress. 

This Military Division (as an addition or counter- 
part to the Civic Division) of the Patriarchal Branch 
of our Order, is of recent origin ; but has already 
imparted increased reputation and influence to our 
Encampments — especially in the estimation of the 
younger and most active of our members. Our 
Sovereign Head has fostered and encouraged this 
tendency, by prescribing a military uniform and 
equipments, for drill and parade. It has also aimed 
to secure uniformity and dexterity in drill and 
tactics, by adopting a special work (Eddy's) on that 
subject, as the standard for all Uniformed Patriarchs. 
Nor has this tendency to increased efficiency in drill 
and parade, been confined to this Military Division ; 
nor even to the Patriarchal Branch of our Order. 
The adoption of a simple, general uniformity of 
dress, and a regalia, for the street processions of 
Subordinate Lodges, is in the same general direc- 
26 



302 the odd-fellow's manual. 



tion. And this, in turn, has been supplemented by 
the Sovereign Grand Lodge in recommending a 
similar (but more elaborate) uniform for the street 
processions of those Patriarchs who prefer not to 
engage in the drill and parade of the Military 
Division. 

These several regulations will, doubtless, give to 
all our public processions more unity and precision 
in movement, and more skill and uniformity in dis- 
play, than have heretofore characterized them. And 
all this, if kept within reasonable limits of expense 
and of time devoted to such objects, can hardly fail 
to render the Order, generally, more acceptable to 
many whose accession would alike benefit them 
and us. 

The creation of a Military Division in our En- 
campment Branch, began in 1870, when the G. L. 
U. S., on motion of Representative Perkins, of Mass., 
permitted Subordinate Encampments to " wear such 
uniform style of head dress as may be approved by 
the Grand Patriarch of the jurisdiction." Soon 
after, not only chapeaux, but swords, belts, gaunt- 
lets, etc., appeared in processions of Patriarchs. As 
Grand Sire Farns worth had previously decided (the 
G. L. U. S. confirming) that " chapeaux," " and all 
military paraphernalia," were inadmissible ; so, 
now, Grand Sire Stuart, though favoring a military 
uniform, could do no less than forbid their use. The 
G. L. U. S., on motion of Representative Stokes, of 
Pa., amended the Grand Sire's Proclamation by 
striking "chapeaux" from the interdict. This was 
the entering wedge. 



OF UNIFORMED PATRIARCHS. 303 



In 1872, Rep. Rand, of Mass., reported a reso- 
lution permitting Encampments " to wear such 
style of street uniform on parade as may be sanc- 
tioned by the G. Encampments of their jurisdic- 
tion," but not at the expense of the Encampments. 
It was passed almost unanimously. 

In 1874, a Committee reported, by Rep. Ticknor, 
of 111. (and the G. L. U. S. adopted, after amending), 
the military uniform hereafter described. In 1875 
it was decided (Journal, pp. 6350, 6696, 6705) 
that a Patriarch in this uniform might enter his 
Encampment "the same as if he presented him- 
self without such uniform." In 1877, Rep. Hickok, 
of Pa., reported the uniform dress and regalia 
for processions of Subordinate Lodges (close of 
Chap. V.), which was adopted. And in 1878, 
a similar regulation of dress, with regalia and 
use of crook, was recommended to Subordinate En- 
campments, for street processions. This fills out 
and completes the public uniform and regalia of 
the whole Order, for processions and parades ; and 
the adoption of the u baldric," in 1880, as an alter- 
native of the " collar," brings the Encampment 
regalia nearer to the uniform prescribed for the 
Military Division. 

Of the Uniformed Patriarchs, and the above regu- 
lations, Grand Secretary Ridgely says (History, pp. 
314, 315)—" This brilliant array of Odd-Fellows has 
already added to our processions a dignity and 
beauty which cannot be surpassed. This picked 
body of noble men who have attained to the superior 
degrees, and overflow with zeal and energy, now 



304 



composes the hope as well as the bodyguard of the 
Order." 

It is also believed, by some on each side of the 
question, that reducing the number of the degrees 
of the Subordinate Lodge will tend to increase the 
membership of the Subordinate Encampments, by 
bringing the sublime Degrees more within reach of 
many who hitherto felt constrained to stop short 
within the Lodge. Especially may such be the ease 
with those who desire the greater excitement and 
exercise of the Encampment drill, whether Civic or 
Military. 

§ 2. Organizing and Uniforming. 

When a number of Patriarchs of the R. P. Degree 
desire to form a company or battalion of Uniformed 
Patriarchs, the following directions and hints may 
aid in accomplishing their purpose. 

1. Circulate an agreement to see how many will 
unite. Then apply to the Grand Patriarch or Gr. 
Scribe of your jurisdiction — or to the Gr. Secretary 
of the S. G-. Lodge, if there be no Grand Encamp- 
ment in your State or Territory — asking informa- 
tion as to qualifications, requisites, and methods 
of proceeding. 

2. Having obtained such information, proceed 
accordingly ; and it may be well to give heed to the 
cautions in Chapter IX., on selecting officers and pro- 
viding payment of expenses. See that no doubtful 
measure be adopted, and no necessary or important 
one neglected, and no loophole left open at which 
any disturbing influence may creep in afterward. 



OF UNIFORMED PATRIARCHS. 305 



Adopt John Randolph's " Philosopher's Stone" at 
the outset — "Pay as you go." Let there be no " after- 
claps" in the shape of "additional assessments" — 
those very inconvenient and embarrassing (if not 
absolutely distressing) demands on patience and 
purse, sometimes draining the family exchequer, 
and abridging family comforts, if not even invading 
the store of necessaries for " wife and weans." " Let 
all things be done decently and in order," and every 
thing be agreed on and provided for with clear pre- 
vision and hearty good-will. 

3. The uniform and equipments must, in all re- 
spects, be those prescribed by the S. G. Lodge, and 
none other. Remember, also, that " under no 
circumstances shall the funds of an Encampment be 
appropriated to meet any expense incurred there- 
by."— Journal of 1872, pp. 5527, 5549 and f num- 
bered 6 following. 

4. " Grand Encampments are authorized to per- 
mit their Subordinates to make suitable Rules and 
Regulations for the government of such of their 
members in their practice and drill, as choose to 
uniform — such Regulations not to be in conflict 
with the laws and usages of the Order." — Proceed- 
ings, S. 6r. Lodge, 1880. 

5. No Encampment can adopt any other name 
than that designated in the Charter — except in 
the manner provided for changing names, by local 
Grand jurisdiction. — S. G. Lodge, 1880. 

6. Consequently, the word " uniform," when used 
as above, does not imply that all members must 
wear uniforms. The wearing of uniforms is purely 

26* U 



306 



a voluntary matter, and any thing that would, 
directly or indirectly, compel members to procure 
them, would be highly objectionable. — S. G. Lodge, 
1880. 

7. The collars (yellow and purple) worn on the 
uniform are those of the Golden Rule and Royal 
Purple Degrees, and belong to those respective De- 
grees only ; consequently, none save members of the 
Royal Purple J)egree can enter into any uniformed 
body of Patriarchs, or wear the uniform thereof. — 
Journ. 1874, p. 6319. 

8. The " Tactics and Drill for Uniformed Patri- 
archs," by Col. S. S. Eddy, was adopted as the work 
for all bodies in the Order, by the Gr. L. U. S. in 
1878. But the form of Funeral Service was ex- 
pressly excepted from such sanction in the Session 
of 1880. 

9. Patriarchs arrayed in the prescribed uniform, 
are entitled to admission into an Encampment, " the 
same as if not in uniform," — -that is, in the ante- 
room they must assume the proper regalia, of which 
the baldric is now a part. — Journ. 1875, pp. 6696 
and 6705 ; and 1880, pp. 8465 and 8484. 

§ 3. The Military Uniform. 

The uniform and equipments prescribed by the 
Head of the Order, for Uniformed Patriarchs, who 
unite for drill and parade, is thus defined and 
described, and constitutes the only proper and 
lawful uniform of that Division.— Journ. 1874, pp. 
6242 and '3, and 6317-19. 

1. Chwpeau. — A black chapeau with three plumes, 



OF UNIFORMED PATRIARCHS. 307 



two black with one royal purple running between 
the black and over the centre of the chapeau ; gilt 
crossed crooks on a black rosette with a purple 
centre on left side of the chapeau. 

2. Fatigue Cap. — A black cloth fatigue cap of the 
present navy style, three inches high, a black leather 
strap one-half inch wide in front, fastened by two 
round gilt buttons having three links and crossed 
crooks embossed thereon ; a one and three-quarter 
inch tent-shaped gilt ornament in front ; around the 
lower edge a purple velvet band, one inch wide, 
with a small gilt cord on each edge of the band. 

3. Baldric. — A pointed baldric of royal purple 
velvet, four inches wide, with a row of gilt braid 
one-eighth of an inch wide on each edge, with 
crossed crooks three inches in length, embroidered 
on front centre ; the baldric to be worn from the 
right shoulder to the left hip, and under the sword belt. 

4. Gauntlets. — Black gloves, with cuffs made of 
royal purple velvet five and a half inches wide, with 
crossed crooks three inches in length embroidered 
on the back of each cuff, gilt braid one-eighth of an 
inch wide around the edges ; the cuffs to be either 
connected with the glove, or detached. 

5. Belt. — The belt to be of purple velvet, one and 
three-quarter inches wide, with two stripes of gilt 
lace one-quarter of an inch wide, at equal distances 
from the edge of the belt ; two short metal link 
chains suspended from sliding straps on belt, with 
hook for fatigue-cap. 

6. Sword. — The sword to be thirty-six inches in 
length, black grip, three-link cross-bar, and tent on 



308 the odd-fellow's manual. 



head of hilt of yellow metal ; the scabbard to be of 
yellow metal, embossed or engraved with appropri- 
ate emblems, with acorn-shaped end. The sword to 
be hung by the chains attached to belt running to 
rings placed on the sides of the scabbard two and 
one-half inches below the top ; the sword when 
worn to be in a perpendicular position. 

7. Coat. — The coat to be a plain black coat, length 
one inch above the knee ; side edges and seams plain ; 
buttons flat surface, made of black silk lasting, nine 
in front, two behind, and two on each cuff. 

8. Pants. — Plain black pantaloons, usual style. 

9. Officers' Uniforms. — The Chief Captain's uni- 
form shall be as before described, except that the 
belt shall be of yellow velvet with black edges ; 
and he shall wear on the left arm, midway between 
the shoulder and elbow, a gilt equilateral triangle, 
with sides three and one-half inches in length, on 
royal purple velvet, with crossed batons in the 
centre. 

10. The Subordinate Captain's uniform shall be the 
same as the Chief Captain's except the centre device 
in the triangle, which shall consist of a single 
baton. 

11. The uniform of elective officers of an Encamp- 
ment, and members of a Grand Encampment, shall be 
that prescribed for R. P. Degree members, with the 
addition of a gilt fringe two inches long around 
the outer edges of the baldric, with jewels of office 
suspended by purple ribbon and gilt bar-pins from 
the left breast, and equilateral triangle on the left 
arm with emblem of rank embroidered in the 
centre. 



OF UNIFORMED PATRIARCHS. 309 



12. The uniform of elective officers and past-elective 
officers of a Grand Encampment, shall be that pre- 
scribed for its members, except that of the three 
plumes to be worn on the chapeau, one shall be 
purple, one black, and one yellow — the latter to be 
worn in the centre ; the gilt fringe on the baldric 
shall be two and one-half inches wide ; the belt 
shall be of plain gilt-webbing one and three-quarter 
inches wide ; the coat to be double-breasted, with 
two rows of buttons in front, and a double equi- 
lateral triangle on left arm, with emblem of rank 
embroidered in the centre. 

§ 4. Civic Uniform, for Processions. 
At the session of 1878, the G. L. U. S. recom- 
mended to all Encampments desiring to uniform for 
street parades, without being subject to military 
drill, the following uniform, suitable for members 
of all the Patriarchal Degrees. 

Description. 

Clause 1. — A dark suit of clothes ; the coat must 
be frock ; vest and cravat black. 

A Grand Jurisdiction is hereby authorized to 
empower any Subordinate Encampment to make 
choice of any particular pattern of coat, or color of 
vest or cravat. 

Clause 2. — Gloves are to be black and to be worn 
on all public occasions. 

Clause 3. — The hat to be black beaver or felt, stiff, 
flat rim, crown with a slight slope from rim to top, 
and to be stiff, top to be flat, rim to be about three 
inches wide and crown about Ave inches high for an 



310 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



average-sized Patriarch ; but may be enlarged or 
reduced according to the size of the Patriarch. The 
cord or band for the hat shall be yellow, [compare 
with Clause " Item 1," following,] one-quarter of an 
inch diameter, placed around the crown, with acorn 
tassels one inch long in front. In front of crown 
shall be placed a black ostrich feather [compare 
with " Items 2 and 3," following] about nine inches 
long, made to stand upright; at the quill end shall 
be placed two ostrich tips diverging, each about six 
inches long — these to be held in place by a metallic 
tent on crooks crossed. 

Clause 4. — The Patriarchal Staff shall be painted 
black, and be about five feet long to the crook, 
which shall be about ten inches from lower end to 
the top of the bend, the short end to point outward, 
the crook to be yellow. The Staff shall be carried 
by every Patriarch, including officers and past 
officers. 

Clause 5. — The Patriarchal Staff shall be carried 
on the right side, resting against the shoulder, with 
the lower end of crook even with the ear, and the 
short end to point to the front. 

The following Regulations shall be observed re- 
specting 

The Use of the Staff. 

First. — When the Patriarch is not in motion, the 
Staff may rest upon the earth, but always upright, 
on a line with the body, and on the right side. 

Second. — When the Patriarch is in motion, the 
Staff must be carried on the right side, arm ex- 
tended with ease — the Staff to rest against right 
shoulder, as above described. 

Third. — The second position may be changed so 
as to place the Staff across the body at an angle of 



OF UNIFORMED PATRIARCHS. 311 



twenty-two and a half degrees with the body ; and 
when the Staff is thus placed by the right arm, the 
left hand must support the right hand. 

Fourth. — When the Patriarchs are in line, to give 
honor to higher rank, the Staff shall be placed 
immediately^ in front of, and three inches from, the 
body, the left hand also grasping the Staff six inches 
above the right hand, the lower part of the crook 
to be on a line with the ear. 

These respective positions shall be styled as fol- 
lows : 1st. Staff on Order. 2d. Staff on Shoulder. 
3d. Staff on Rest. 4th. Staff on Honor. 

Clause 6. — The collar to conform to the size of the 
Patriarch, in dimensions — to his rank and station, 
in colors and trimmings — the ends to be united by 
three links — the material to be velvet — with the 



following 



Special Distinctive Regulations. 



Item 1. Patriarchs of the First Degree to wear a hat 
trimmed black — no feather — black collar trimmed 
with black tassels, and bound with black braid one- 
half an inch wide. 

Item 2. Patriarchs of the Second Degree to wear 
the black hat with yellow trimmings, no feather — a 
black collar trimmed with yellow braid one-half an 
inch wide, and yellow tassels. 

Item 3. — Patriarchs of the Royal Purple Degree 
to wear the regulation hat with black feather and 
two purple tips — and purple collar, with yellow trim- 
mings, lace one-half inch wide ; fringe about two 
inches wide, tassels three inches long. On each side 
of the collar shall be placed two stars of yellow metal ; 
and a tent made of yellow metal (or embroidered) 



312 the odd-fellow's manual. 



three inches long, placed on each side between the 
stars. 

Item 4. — Elective and appointed officers of an En- 
campment shall wear the same collar prescribed to 
be worn by them in the Encampment ; also hat with 
black feather and purple tips. 

Item 5. — Patriarchs of the Grand Encampment 
shall wear the same regalia required to be worn by 
those of Royal Purple Degree, except the feather, 
which shall be yellow, and the tips purple. 

Item 6. — Grand Representatives and Past Grand 
Representatives, if participating, the same as Patri- 
archs of the Grand Encampment, except they may 
wear the Grand Representative collar. 

Item 7. — Officers of the Grand Encampment shall 
appear as Patriarchs of the Grand Encampment 
only, excepting their jewels of office. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

OF GRAND ENCAMPMENTS. 

§ 1. How Commenced and Constituted. 

Until a Grand Encampment is instituted in any 
State or Territory, the Sovereign G. Lodge of the 
I. 0. 0. F. alone has power to charter an Encamp- 
ment in its bounds ; and such Subordinates receive 
their laws and instructions from, and make their 
returns and pay percentage on their receipts to, the 
Sovereign G. Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F. alone. But 
when a Grand Encampment is established in any 
State or Territory, all the Subordinates in the same 
receive their instructions from, and make returns 



OF GRAND ENCAMPMENTS. 313 



and pay percentage to, their State Grand Encamp- 
ment only. They are no longer subject to the Sove- 
reign G. Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F. directly, but only 
indirectly through their Grand Encampment. 

When five or more Subordinate Encampments 
contain seven or more Past Chief Patriarchs in 
good standing, they can call a convention to petition 
the Sovereign G. Lodge of the I. 0. 0. P. for a 
charter for a Grand Encampment within their State, 
Territory, or District. Each Encampment in the 
proposed jurisdiction will appoint one or more of 
its Past C. P.'s or Past H. P.'s to represent it in the 
proposed Convention, which should be duly notified 
to be held at a place and time convenient for all 
parties. These Representatives should be furnished 
with certificates of appointment, and a statement of 
the number of P. C. Patriarchs in good standing in 
their respective Encampments, under seal. The 
propriety of applying for a charter, and the location 
of the Grand Encampment, are to be determined by 
a majority of the Convention, comprising at least 
five Encampments in favor, the votes being taken 
by Encampments. After which, the Petition is 
drawn up in due form, signed by the Representa- 
tives, and forwarded to the Grand Secretary of the 
Sovereign G. Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F., accompanied 
by, 1st, the charter fee of thirty dollars; and 2d, 
the certificates and certified statements given the 
Representatives, as above named. The Encamp- 
ments-petitioning must have paid up their dues, or 
the charter will not be granted ; but, if not granted, 
the charter fee will be returned. If granted, the 



Bi4 THE ODD-FELLOW ? S MANUAL. 



Grand Encampment will be duly instituted and 
instructed b} 7 the Grand Sire, or some qualified 
brother duly authorized. The expenses of such 
opening are paid by the new Grand Encampment. 

During the interim between the sessions of the 
Sovereign Grand Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., the Grand Sire, 
Deputy Grand Sire, and Grand Secretary are author- 
ized to consider and grant charters, subject, how- 
ever, to the Revision of the Sovereign Grand Lodge. 
I. 0. 0. F., at its next session. Such charter con- 
tinues in force so long as its requisitions are obeyed, 
and while seven P. C. Patriarchs, the representa- 
tives of three Encampments, continue to claim it. 

If forfeited or annulled for just cause, it must be 
delivered to the Grand Recording Secretary of the 
Sovereign Grand Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., or the G. P. of 
the Grand Encampment, (as the case may be,) with 
all the documents, books, funds, and other property, 
to be returned on the renewal of the same. 

And this rule and 'procedure are applied in all cases 
of Lodges and Encampments, Grand and Subordinate, 
by the power having jurisdiction. No charter can be 
thrown up while the requisite number claim it. 

Grand Encampments are composed of all Past 
Chief Patriarchs in good standing in their juris- 
diction. In some States, Past High Priests are also 
admitted as members. They yield precedence to 
State Grand Lodges, but have supreme jurisdiction 
over their Subordinate Encampments. They are 
themselves subject to the Sovereign Grand Lodge, 
I. 0. 0. F., to which they submit their Constitution 
and By-Laws for revision, make their returns, and 
pay seventy-five dollars per annum for each Repre- 



OF GRAND ENCAMPMENTS. 815 



sentative which they are entitled to send to that 
Grand Body ; that is to say, until they have one 
thousand members of Subordinates in jurisdiction, 
one Grand Representative, and after that two. They 
may nominate, by their Representation, a candidate 
for each office of Grand Sire and Deputy Grand Sire, 
and are entitled to copies of the Proceedings of the 
Sovereign G. Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F., equal to double 
the number of Subordinates in their jurisdiction. 

The support of a Grand Encampment is derived 
from fees for charters and dispensations, and a speci- 
fied percentage levied on the receipts of its Sub- 
ordinates. To this is sometimes added a small profit 
on the Odes, cards, and books which it furnishes to 
its Subordinates. 

§ 2. The. Grand Encampment Degree, 
The Grand Encampment opens, works, and closes 
in the Grand Encampment Degree only, which 
must be conferred on its members free of charge. 
Members of this Degree, as with heart in open 
palm, should resolve, before' heaven and earth, to 
represent aright the interests of their Subordinates, 
and at the same time faithfully preserve the secrets, 
advance the interests, and promote the welfare of 
his Grand Encampment. May the God of Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob aid him, and keep him true and 
pure as a fellow-patriarch with those who have pre- 
ceded him into the true rest! 

§ 3. Members, Representatives, and Committees. 
Each P. C. P. (and in some States, P. II. P.) in good 
standingwithinjurisdiction,isa member of the Grand 



316 

Encampment, and is entitled, as such, to attend its 
sessions, to receive its degree, to hold office if elected 
and qualified, to take precedence according to grade, 
and to vote for Grand officers ; and of these privileges 
he cannot be deprived so long as he retains his good 
standing in the Order. In nearly all the States, mem- 
bership, and the powers of legislator as the Representa- 
tive of his Subordinate, are connected. But the P. C. 
Patriarchs may (as in New York and Ohio) delegate 
the legislative power to a select portion of their number, 
to be annually elected for that purpose, as may be fixed 
by Constitution and By-Law. 

Each P. C. P. (and P. H. P.) on completing his ser- 
vice in the Chairs of the Subordinate Encampment, 
should receive therefrom a Certificate under seal, stating 
the fact, and recommending him as a member of the 
Grand Encampment. (And when elected to serve as 
a Representative, where the legislative power is confined 
to a select number, a Certificate to that effect should 
also be given.) On the presentation of such Certificate 
in the Grand Encampment, a proper officer is appointed 
to wait on the candidate, and, after due examination, 
prepare and conduct him into the Grand Encampment 
to receive its degree and take his seat. 

The business of the Grand Encampments is fre- 
quently performed by Committees, provided in the 
Constitution and By-Laws, or appointed specially as 
occasions demand. These vary in number, and in duties 
and powers, in various jurisdictions, but partake, gene 
rally, so nearly of the same character with those of the 
Subordinates, that a reference to Chap. XL is sufficient 
Of Appeal Committees we shall speak in Chap. XXII. 



OF GRAND ENCAMPMENTS. 



317 



§ 4. Appointed and Elective Officers. 



The officers of a Grand Encampment are — M. W. 
Grand Patriarch, M. E. Grand High Priest, R. W. 
Grand Senior Warden, R. W. Grand Junior Warden, 
R. W. Grand Scribe, R. W. Grand Treasurer, and 
R. W. Grand Representative, (or Representatives,) who 
are elected by the members as provided by its funda- 
mental laws; and W. Grand Inside and Outside Sen- 
tinels, who are appointed by the Grand Patriarch at his 
installation. R. W. District Grand Patriarchs for each 
District in jurisdiction are usually appointed by the 
Grand Patriarch also, but their appointment may be 
otherwise provided for in the Constitution and By- 
Laws. (See Chap. XXII.) R. W. Grand Representa- 
tive we shall consider in Chap. XXIII. 

1. W. Grand Sentinels. — The 
Jewel of these Officers is Crossed 
Swords in a double Triangle of 
yellow metal. 

The duty of the Outside Sentinel 
is to guard the outside door ; and 
of the Inside Sentinel, to guard 
the inside door of the Grand En- 
campment, and prevent the ad- 
mission, or facilitate the ejectment, of any improper 
person, under the orders of the Presiding Officer. The 
same qualifications are required as for similar officers 
in the Subordinate. 
27* 




318 



THE ODD-FELLOWS MANUAL. 




2. The R. W. Grand Treasurer. 
— The Jewel is Crossed Keys in a 
double Triangle of yellow metal. 

His duties are the same as of 
the same officer of the Subordinate. 
His bond is usually executed to 
the G. P., G. H. P., and G. S. W. ; 
and in most cases, the investment 
of the funds is confided to his 
charge. 




3. The R. W. Grand Scribe.— 
The Jewel is Crossed Pens in a 
double Triangle of yellow metal . 

His duties are to record the pro- 
ceedings of the Grand Encamp- 
ment, superintend their printing, 
and distribute them to the D. D. 
G. Patriarchs and the Subordinates ; 
to keep the accounts between the 
Grand and Subordinate Encampments, and between the 
former and all other bodies and individuals having busi- 
ness transactions therewith ; to receive all payments 
made to the Grand Encampment, and pay the same to 
the Grand Treasurer ; to send necessary notices to 
Subordinates and others ; to provide needed stationery 
for the Grand Encampment; and perform such other 
duties as pertain to the office and as the Grand Encamp- 
ment may order. He is generally required to give bond 
for the faithful execution of his duties to the three 
principal Grand Officers. He receives pecuniary com- 
pensation (a fixed salary) for his services. 



OF GRAND ENCAMPMENTS. 



319 




4. The R. W. Grand Junior 
Warden. — The Jewel of this office 
is a single Crook in a double Tri- 
angle of yellow metal. 

His duties are to open and close 
the Grand Encampment as directed ; 
to introduce all new members ; and 
to officiate in cases similar to those 
confided to the Junior Warden's 



jffice in the Subordinate. 



5. The R. W. Grand Senior 
Warden. — The Jewel of this office 
is Crossed Crooks within a double 
Triangle of yellow metal. 

His duties are to assist in pre- 
serving order and enforcing the 
laws and rules of the Grand En- 
campment ; to preside in the ab- 
sence of the G. P. and G. H. P. ; 

and to perforin such other duties as are analogous to 

those of the S. W. of a Subordinate. 




6. The M. E. Grand High 
Priest. — The Jewel of this office 
is a Breastplate within a double 
Triangle of yellow metal, worn on 
the breast. 

His duties are those of the second 
officer of a Subordinate : to preside 
in the absence of the G. P., and to 
instruct members in the work of 

the Grand Encampment. He, also, is the Chaplain of 

the Grand Encampment, 




320 



THE ODD-FELLOWS MANUAL. 




7. The M. W. Grand Pa- 
triarch. — The Jewel of this office 
is Crossed Crooks and an Altar, 
within a double Triangle of yellow 
metal. 

His duties are to preside over 
and preserve order in the Grand 
Encampment ; to exercise super- 
visory authority within its juris- 
diction ; to decide constitutional questions, and deter- 
mine what is law and usage in the Patriarchal branch ; 
to receive and dispose of complaints, and appeals and 
petitions ; to give instructions in the work of the En- 
campment ; to grant such dispensations as he may deem 
for the good of the Order, and to perform such other 
offices as usually pertain to a Chief presiding and exe- 
cutive officer. 
8. Past Grand Patriarch. — Jewel "of yellow metal 
of two and a half inches in 
diameter, rim three-eighths 
inch wide, with double tri- 
angle, and rays extending 
from rim, and the letters 
P. G. P. in the centre of tri- 
angle." 

Regalia. — "A royal purple 
collar of velvet, not to exceed 
five inches in width, trimmed 
with yellow metal lace, fringe and tassels, with crossed 
crooks and a dove with olive branch on the face of the 
collar, and yellow lace and fringe around two-thirds of 
the length of the neck of the collar."— Jour. G. L. U. S., 
p. 4399. 

Note— A.11 Past officers wear the jewel? and regalia of the offices 
passed ; and all brethren, when visiting a Grand or Subordinate body, 
may wear the jewels and regalia of the highest office passed, or regalia 
of the highest decree taken. — Digest G. L. U. S, 

(For Privileges, see page 328.) 




OF STATE GRAND LODGES. 321 



CHAPTER XX. 

OP STATE GRAND LODGES. 

§ 1. How Commenced and Constituted. 

Grand Lodges, under the authority and super- 
vision of the Sovereign G. Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F., 
have supreme legislation and control of the affairs 
of the Order within the State, Territory, or District 
comprising their jurisdiction. They cannot inter- 
fere with the jurisdiction proper of the Grand En- 
campments ; hut take precedence of them on all 
public occasions. 

Until a Grand Lodge is established in a State, 
Territory, or District, the Sovereign G. Lodge of 
the I. 0. 0. F. has immediate and supreme juris- 
diction over all interests of the Order within the 
same. But ten or more Lodges having seven or 
more Past Grands may unite and petition for a 
charter for a Grand Lodge to be established within 
such State, District, or Territory ; and when such 
Grand Lodge is opened, all Subordinate Lodges 
become immediately subject to it alone, as in the 
case of Grand and Subordinate Encampments. The 
preliminary proceedings for establishing a Grand 
Lodge are also the same. (See Chap. XIX.) It con- 
tinues to exist so long as it has jive members in 
good standing. 

Grand Lodges are required to render the same obe- 
dience, and to pay the same support to the Sovereign 
G. Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F.; are entitled to repre- 
sentation in it on the same basis and terms, and 

V 



322 the odd-fellow's manual. 



receive from it the same privileges, as Grand Encamp- 
ments. They are supported by revenue derived from 
the same sources, and collected from their Subordinate 
Lodges. (See Chap. XIX.) 

§ 2. The Grand Lodge Degree. 

Grand Lodges work only in the Grand Lodge Degree, 
which must be conferred in the Grand Lodge or one of 
its apartments. This is conferred, as are all past 
official degrees, on all entitled to receive it, without 
pecuniary charge. 

He who receives this degree is eligible to legislate 
for the welfare of his Lodge and the Order, and to sit 
in judgment in trials of Lodges and brethren. He 
should not only see clearly the mote that is in another's 
eye, but remove the beam that may be in his own ; and 
the causes hidden from common view, he should search 
out. Thus with impartiality and searching scrutiny let 
him faithfully represent his constituents, and truly 
serve his Grand Lodge and the Order, as one of its 
Past Grands. 

§ 3. Members, Representatives, and Committees. 

Similar to Grand Encampments, « each Grand Lodge 
consists of all the Past Grands in good standing within 
its jurisdiction ; but by its Constitution it may restrict 
its legislative power to such representative basis as it 
may deem best for the proper transaction of business ; 
but it cannot abridge the privileges of Past Grands 
pertaining to their rank in the degrees of the Order : 
viz. their right to past official degrees, eligibility to 
office, precedence belonging to their grade, privilege of 



OF STATE GRAND LODGES. 328 



attending the meetings of their Grand Lodge, and right 
to vote for Grand Officers." — Digest G. L. U. S. 

P. Grands, when first admitted, present the certificate 
of service given them by the Lodge, (or a duplicate, if 
the first has been forwarded to the G. Secretary,) where- 
upon the proper officer examines them in the P. Grand's 
degree, and conducts them to receive the G. Lodge 
degree. When they change their membership from one 
Lodge to another, the latter gives notice of such change, 
which is sufficient. When the Grand Lodge is repre- 
sentative, P. Grands elected to represent their Subor- 
dinates must present a certificate of election, of which a 
form will be found in Appendix B, No. 16. 

As in Grand Encampments, so in Grand Lodges, 
much of the business is elaborated and transacted by 
Committees. The duties of these are, generally, so 
similar to those of Subordinates, already treated of in 
Chap. XI., that special remarks are unnecessary, espe- 
cially as the persons appointed are too experienced to 
need them. 

§ 4. Appointed and Elective Officers. 
The appointed and elective officers of a Grand Lodge 
are — M. W. Grand Master, R. W. Deputy Grand 
Master, R. W. Grand Warden, R. W. Grand Secretary, 
R. W. Grand Treasurer, who are elected annually ; and 
R. W. Grand Representative, or Representatives, elected 
biennially — if two, one each year — and W. Grand 
Marshal, W. Grand Conductor, and W. Grand Inside 
and Outside Guardian, who are appointed annually by 
the Grand Master. Some Grand Lodges eleet or ap- 
point a W. Grand Chaplain and a W. Grand Herald, 
(or Messenger,) in addition to the forejjoina:. Generally, 
R. W. District Deputy Grand Masters arc appointed 



324 the odd-fellow's manual. 



by the Grand Master, independently, or by consent 
and approval of the Grand Lodge; but in some States 
they are elected by the Past Grands of their respective 
Districts. In several States the elections for Grand 
Officers are held in the Subordinate Lodges, instead of 
the body of the Grand Lodge; and in others they are 
held in the meetings of the Dist. G. Committees; and 
none but P. Grands vote. Of Appeal Committees and 
D. D. G. Masters we will treat in Chap. XXL; and 
of G. Representatives to the Sovereign Grand Lodge, 
I. O. O. F. in Chap. XXII. ; the remainder of the 
Grand Officers we will consider here, in reversed order 
of precedence. 

1. W. Grand Herald. — His duty is to announce 
the G. M. at ceremonials, and to precede and usher the 
Grand Lodge (or its Officers) in its processions. He is 
also the Messenger of the Grand Lodge, as which he 
receives a small salary. In Pennsylvania, he acts as 
the O. G. also. 

2. W. Grand Chaplain. — The Jewel is a Bible of 
white metal. His duty is to open and close the Grand 
Lodge with prayer, and to officiate at public ceremonials 
and funerals of the Order which are under special charge 
of the Grand Lodge. 

3. W. Grand Guardian. — The Jewel of this office 
is Crossed Swords of white metal. 

The duties are similar to those of the corresponding 
office in the Subordinate. 

4. W. Grand Conductor. — The Jewel for this office 
is the Roman (or straight, two-edged) Sword, made of 
white metal. 

The duties are to examine the certificates of candi- 
dates for admission, and, if correct, to introduce the 



OF STATE GRAND LODGI S. 



325 




bearers to the Grand Lodge; and to aid the Grand 
Marshal in his duties. 

5. W. Geand Maeshal. — The Jewel of this office 
is a Baton of white metal. 

His duties are to assist the Deputy G. Master in 
supporting the Grand Master, and to superintend the 
arrangements of all processions ordered or permitted by 
the Grand Lodge. He is specially the Marshal of the 
Grand Lodge, in person, in all processions. 

6. E-. W. Geand Teeasueee. — 
The Jewel of this officer is Crossed 
Keys made of white metal. 

His duties are similar to those of 
Treasurer of the Subordinate. His 
books must exhibit clearly the sources 
and amounts of receipts, and the pur- 
poses and amounts of expenditures, as 
well as to whom paid. In some Grand 
Lodges he is to make the necessary investments for the 
Grand Lodge. His Bond is usually executed to the G. 
Master, Deputy G. Master, and G. Warden. 

7. R. W. Geand Seceetaey. 
— The Jewel for this officer is 
Crossed Pens made of white metal. 
His duties are analogous to those 
of the same office in the Subor- 
dinate, and the same as those of 
Grand Scribe of the G. Encamp- 
ment. They are, however, more 
arduous, and are compensated with 
a larger salary. He also usually 
gives bond for his fidelity to the 
three principal officers of the Grand 

28 Lod « - 




326 



THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 




8. E. W. Grand Warden. — 
The Jewel is Crossed Gavels made 
of white metal. 

His duties are to assist the Grand 
Master in maintaining law and order 
in the G. Lodge ; when directed by 
the G. Master, to take charge of the 
door, and to preside over the sessions 
of the G. L. in the absence of the G. 
Master and the Deputy G. Master. 
He gives the instruction of his Chair 
to candidates on their admission. 
9. R. W. Deputy Grand Mas- 
ter. — The Jewel of this office is a Half 
Moon, made of white metal. 

The duties are to support the Grand 
Master in presiding over the G. Lodge, 
to fill his chair during his absence, and 
usually to act as the Deputy of the 
district in which he resides. In the 
event of the death, removal, or resigna- 
tion of the Grand Master, he succeeds 
to the Chair for the rest of the term, or until a special 
election supplies the vacancy. 

10. M. W. Grand Mas- 
ter. — The Jewel for this 
officer is the Sun with the 
Scales of Justice engraved 
or impressed thereon, 
made of white metal. 

By his installation into 
office he ceases to be con- 
sidered an active member 
of any Subordinate in par- 





OF STATE GRAND LODGES. 



327 



ticular; though he must continue a contributing mem- 
ber in his Lodge. His duties are to preside over the 
G. Lodge during its sessions, and preserve order and 
enforce the laws of the Order therein; to execute its 
laws and mandates during the interim between its ses- 
sions; and to open Lodges, install officers, and deliver 
necessary instructions on the work of the Order to new 
Lodges and members and officers of the Grand Lodge, 
either in person or by deputy; to decide questions of 
law and usage during the recess of the G. Lodge; and 
to perform such other duties as belong to an executive 
and presiding officer of such a body. He is usually 
authorized to grant dispensations for degrees, when he 
deems it necessary for the good of the Order ; and to 
confer the Past Official degrees on those entitled to 
them. He must have received those degrees, and in 
some G. Lodges must also be a R. P. D. member in 
good standing in an Encampment. 

11. Past Grand Mas- 
ter. — The Jewel for a P. 
G. M. is the Sun with Heart 
in hand, made of white 
metal. 

Regalia. — " Past 

Grands shall wear scarlet 

collars or sashes trimmed 

with white " — " silver lace 

or fringe " — " and those 

having attained the royal 

purple degree may have 

trimmings of yellow metal." " The Grand Officers and 

Past Grand Officers shall wear the regalia of Past Grands, 

as above defined." — Jour. G. L. U. 8., 18G8, p. 4357, 




328 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



Privileges — The elective officers of any Grand Body 
may introduce visitors (who would be entitled to visit 
by card) into any Subordinate of such Grand Body, 
without examination by others. And the Grand Master 
(or Grand Patriarch) may grant dispensations for open- 
ing Subordinates when so authorized by his Grand Lodge 
(or Grand Encampment). 



CHAPTER XXI. 

OF DISTRICTS, THEIR COMMITTEES AND OFFICEES. 

Grand Lodges and Grand Encampments usually 
divide their jurisdiction into a number of Districts, 
which they place under the charge of proper officers and 
committees, and thus facilitate the performance of duties, 
hasten the redress of grievances, and lessen the work 
of their sessions. Though not taking precedence of the 
Grand Bodies themselves, yet for convenience we pre- 
ferred considering them after their superiors. 

§ 1. District Grand Committees. 

Some States have restored, in improved forms, these 
Ancient members of our general organization. In such 
jurisdictions, every P. G. [or P. C. P.] in good stand- 
ing in a Subordinate of the county or counties forming 
the District, is a member of the District Grand Com- 
mittee. It meets monthly or quarterly, as determined 
by the State Grand Body or its own By-laws, and is 
presided over by the D. D. G. Master [or D. D. G. 
Patriarch] — its other officers being elected by itself. 
It recommends the granting of charters for Subordinates 



OF DISTRICTS THEIR COMMITTEES AND OFFICERS. 329 



in the District; acts on all grievances and appeals 
•arising in the same ; settles disputes and controversies 
between the subordinates ; grants needed dispensations 
when authorized, and nominates candidates for the 
Grand offices. Its business is subject to the revision of 
its State Grand Body. It keeps correct minutes of its 
proceedings by its Secretary [or Scribe], who issues all 
notices ordered by it or the District Deputy. And it 
may be suspended, after due trial and by a two-third 
vote, by the State Grand Body; such vote suspending 
all its members from the Grand Body, except those 
specially excepted. 

§ 2. Appeal Committees. 

The frequent changes made in regard to these, and 
the various modes of constituting them in different 
States, forbid minute details. We can only give in- 
stances as specimens, and lay down the rules most gen- 
erally adopted. The Digests of the National and State 
G. Lodges, the Standing Rules, Constitution and Laws 
of each jurisdiction, must be consulted for fuller and 
more precise information. 

In all appeals, notice should be given to the opposite 
party. Books, papers, and minutes of evidence taken 
at the trial, are submitted, and the parties heard in 
person, (by counsel, in some States,) and the Lodge, 
Encampment, or D. G. Committee by its sub-committee 
or officers. Informality or irregularity in the mode of 
preferring the charges, in appointing the Committee to 
try them, or in conducting the trial, is cause for re- 
manding back the case. If the charges were not proved, 
or did not warrant the sentence, or were not within the 
jurisdiction of the Subordinate, the proceedings may be 
28* 



330 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MA.NUAL. 



reversed, and the injured party be restored to good 
standing. But in no case of appeal should new evidence 
be produced except to prove irregularity, &c; nor can 
a Lodge or Encampment contradict its minutes duly 
approved. 

Where there are District Grand Committees, appeals 
are usually decided by them alone, subject to further 
appeal to and revision by the Grand Body. So where a 
Standing Committee on Appeals is appointed by the 
Grand Body, as in Pennsylvania, where the Grand Mas- 
ter appoints six Past Grands each year, to serve two 
years — they keep a journal of their proceedings and de- 
cisions, which latter are published. All appeals to the 
G. Master are referred to this Committee, which, after 
hearing, they decide, and report in writing to the G. 
Master. If he approve, the decision is final, unless ap- 
pealed from to the Grand Lodge within three months. 
If he disapprove, he refers it to the Grand Lodge for 
its decision. 

During trials of appeals, none should be present but 
the Appeal Committee, the appellant (and his counsel, 
if any), and the representatives of the Lodge or En- 
campment. Such representatives should be accredited 
under seal of the Subordinate. And the Appeal Com- 
mittee should confine itself strictly to the allegations of 
illegality or informality of the charges or mode of trial; 
insufficiency of the testimony, or of the charges to war- 
rant the sentence ; unfairness toward the appellant or 
his witnesses ; or lack of jurisdiction in the Subordinate 
— as the case may be. 

§ 3. District Deputy ' Grand Patriarch. 

In all cases where the general organization of the 
Grand Encampment resembles that of the Grand Lodge 



DISTRICTS, THE R COMMITTEES AND OFFICERS. 331 



of the same State or Territory, his duties will corre- 
spond precisely to that of the D. D. G. M., given below. 
As the representative of the Grand Encampment and 
Grand Patriarch in his District, he should be received 
with the honors and courtesies due to those he repre- 
sents, when he visits Encampments in his official ca- 
pacity. 

§ 4. District Deputy Grand Master. 

As the duties of this important office vary in the 
several jurisdictions, his first duty is to study well the 
Constitution and Laws immediately governing him. 
The following, compiled from various sources, embraces 
the most general duties of the office. 

He represents the G. Master, and has all the powers he would 
have, if present. He is to give such instruction in the work of the 
Order as will secure uniformity — to see that no alterations or 
omissions are made in the ceremonies and charges — to enforce on 
the part of Subordinates, through their officers, a strict observance of 
the Constitutions and Laws of the State and U. S. Grand Lodges, — 
and to report promptly all violations thereof to the Grand Master. 
Where there are District Grand Committees, he is to preside — to 
see in person or by deputy, that the three degrees are properly con- 
ferred in Subordinate and Degree Lodges— to confer P. 0. degrees 
when authorized — to collect the returns and dues of Subordinates, 
and see that they are forwarded in season to the Grand Secretary — 
to see that officers of the Subordinates under his charge are duly 
elected and properly installed — and, in short, be the representa- 
tive of the Grand Master and agent of the Grand Lodge in his dis- 
trict. To him, in the first place, all applications should be made 
for dispensations, explanation of laws, instruction in work, and 
advice in questions of doubt and difficulty pertaining to the Order. 
If not satisfactory, an appeal can be made to the higher authority. 
He cannot act directly as an officer of a Subordinate; his advice or 
command must be given to the officers of the Lodge, who then be- 
come responsible for its enforcement on the Lodge. 

And to do all this ivell, each D. D. G. M. should keep an official 
record of every case and question submitted to him — when, where. 



332 the odd-fellow's manual, 



what, and by whom — with his decision and doings therein. And 
this record he should submit to the Grand Master for approval or 
correction as frequently as may be — at least once in six months — 
entering therein any corrections made. 

When officially visiting the Subordinates of his District, he must 
be received with the honors of the Order. 

§ 5. Institutions and Installations. 

The ceremony of opening new Lodges and Encamp- 
ments, is termed Institution. 

At the appointed time and place of meeting the peti- 
tioners for the Charter, the officer appointed w r ill call 
them to order, read his commission, and exhibit the 
Charter. After which, in proper form and manner, he 
will administer the obligations, and deliver the Charter, 
with such advice and directions as he may deem both 
necessary and suitable. If the- members of the new 
Lodge or Encampment are not experienced in the 
management and business of the same, he should enter 
freely into the minute details of their duty, in a well- 
arranged order, and be careful to repeat, or otherwise 
impress specially, what is most important for them to 
do or remember. So much depends on a fair, intelli- 
gent start, that the case is always worth much time and 
labor. And so ignorant are even intelligent (but inex- 
perienced) men, of these matters, that he must not sup- 
pose them uninterested in what is trifling or common- 
place to himself. 

After this instruction to the members generally, 
direct them how to organize properly by electing their 
officers. After installing the officers, give them their 
special instructions, that they may at once enter on the 
performance of their special duties. It is better far that 
they begin, while the installing officer is present to aid, 
advise, and correct them, than to wait until he leaves. 



DISTRICTS, THEIR COMMITTEES AND OFFICERS. 333 



§ 6. Insubordination and Disorder. 

" It must needs be that offences will come, but woe 
unto that man by whom they come." So in our smaller 
communities and with our brotherhood. Men of ill- 
directed ambition, a factious spirit, or an unregulated 
temper, are found among us, and at times, seizing some 
wrong or appearance of injustice on the part of those in 
authority, they succeed in inflaming the passions of the 
majority, and inducing them to refuse obedience to the 
laws or commands of the G. Body or its officers. This 
is always very unwise, and impolitic even. The wrong 
is scarcely ever corrected by wrong-doing in return. 
A respectful remonstrance, protest, or appeal is seldom 
without success, if accompanied by manifestations of a 
love of peace and order, and willing obedience. But 
when passion, angry words, and violent means are 
resorted to on the part of the inferior, the superior too 
often feels that retraction and apology for even a wrong 
mandate would encourage Subordinates to rebel against 
lawful authority on slight pretences, and hence a con- 
test ensues, in which (no rational and moral forces being 
employed) mere numbers and power must finally 
triumph. True, after the contest is ended, and much 
injury done and ill-feeling deeply planted, the wrong 
may be corrected voluntarily by the superior; but years 
may not efface the deforming scars that remain as evi- 
dences of the conflict. 

When a Lodge or Encampment, therefore, begins to 
manifest a spirit of lawless passion, be prompt in seek- 
ing out the cause. If the cause be just, remove it 
instantly, but fail not sternly to rebuke the ill-temper 
that was leading to wrong measures of resistance, and 
kindlj point out the evil consequences to which jit would 



334 the odd-fellow's manual. 



have led. But if the alleged cause is a rightful and 
proper law or measure, reason with them feelingly on 
their obligations to obey, and the inevitable results of 
their disobedience. Consider not so much your dignity 
as an officer, as your feelings and duties as an Odd- 
Fellow. A peacemaker is of a far higher grade than a - 
conqueror; and he seldom fails to conquer also, but by 
moral rather than by physical force. Yet do not sacri- 
fice right, nor yield principle to secure peace. But 
exhaust every means of kind persuasion before you re- 
sort to threats and arbitrary commands. And when at 
last you must resort to the power vested in you, do it 
coolly, calmly, and even pityingly. Make no threat 
that is either unreasonable or impracticable, and that 
you will not execute. Utter no command in a passion, 
or that is not clearly just and right, and that you are 
not determined and able to enforce. And do not even 
utter such threats and commands until after you have 
consulted with your superiors, (if time will permit,) and 
obtained their advice and direction in regard to them. 
In short, see that reason and right are on your side in 
all your words and actions ; and cause the disorderly to 
feel, if possible, that they are in the wrong. " Thrice 
is he armed that hath his quarrel just," and faint and 
brief must be the resistance where conscience and judg- 
ment both side against the rebellious. 

§ 7. Reclaiming Charters. 

When a Subordinate summons its passions to the 
point of open defiance of its superior, against all remon- 
strance, argument, and warning, but one remedy is left, 
the last resort. Its Charter has been forfeited and must 
be taken away. Its funds and property, raised and 



DISTRICTS, THEIR COMMITTEES AND OFFICERS. 335 



procured for purposes of benevolence and charity, are 
endangered, and must be secured for the use of the 
minority (if any) who desire rightly to employ them. 
In such case, the Grand Master or Grand Patriarch (or 
his representative) will summon such aid as he deems 
absolutely necessary, and, entering the Lodge-room on 
the stated evening, and at the appointed hour of meet- 
ing, he will take the chair, place his aids in the other 
chairs, and call the Subordinate Body to order. He 
will then narrate his duty, remind the Chief Officers 
of their solemn pledges to deliver up the Charter, books, 
&c, in circumstances like the present, point out the 
proper mode to obtain redress or be again restored • and 
take possession of the Charter, books, seal, papers, and 
other properties of the Subordinate, in the name and 
by the authority of the Grand Body represented ; after 
which he will declare the Subordinate suspended, (or 
dissolved, as the case may be,) until the further pleasure 
of the Grand Body can be made known. 

A painful duty like this should be performed in none 
other than a kind, gentle, and sorrowing spirit. If the 
resistance made demands force, it should be employed 
with promptitude and decision, but not in such a way 
as to exhibit passion and a love of power. Those mem- 
bers who show a disposition to support the law should 
be carefully noted, as also those who appear to be most 
active in contumacy, and reported to the Crrand Lodge 
accordingly. 



336 THE ODD-FELLOW 'S MANUAL. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

OF THE SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE OF THE I. 0. 0. F. 

§ 1. How Constituted and Supported. 

This is the highest authority and judicatory of 
the Order. It "possesses original and exclusive 
jurisdiction," and is "the source of all true and 
legitimate authority in Odd-Fellowship." It is the 
ultimate tribunal to which all matters of general 
importance to the State, District, and Territorial 
Grand Lodges and Encampments are to be referred, 
and " its decisions thereon shall be final and con- 
clusive." If an expelled Subordinate have delivered 
up all its effects to the State Grand Body, the Sove- 
reign G. Lodge may receive its appeal loithout the 
consent of the State Grand Body, but if the Sub- 
ordinate has not surrendered, only with such con- 
sent. " To it belongs the power to regulate and 
control the unwritten work of the Order, and to 
fix and determine the customs and usages in regard 
to all things which appertain thereto ; and to it 
alone belongs the power to provide and establish 
suitable lectures and other written work therefor." 
(To change the written work requires a two-thirds 
vote ; and the unwritten, a four-fifths vote.) It 
institutes Lodges and Encampments in any States, 
Territories, and foreign countries where no author- 
ized Grand Body exists ; and supplies the A. T. P. 
W. to the Grand Bodies in its jurisdiction. 

It is constituted of its Officers, Past G. Sires, 



SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE OF THE I. 0. 0. E. 337 



and the Representatives of its Subordinate Grand 
Bodies; but only the latter are entitled to vote. 
Its Annual Communication is held on the third 
Monday in September — usually in Baltimore, and 
generally lasts during the week. 

Its revenues are derived from — 1st, Fees for Char- 
ters to Grand and Subordinate Bodies ; thirty dollars 
each. 2d, Ten per cent on the receipts of Subordi- 
nates, where there is no State Grand Body. 3d, 
Seventy-five dollars from each State Grand Body for 
each G. Representative to which it is entitled. 4th, 
Profits on diplomas, cards, odes, charge and lecture 
books, journals, digest, &c, of which it has exclusive 
sale. 

§ 2. Members, Representatives, and Officers. 

Elective officers and Past Grand Sires may offer 
and debate motions, but cannot vote ; and so may 
non-elective officers if a majority of Representatives 
consent. And admission on the floor, and per- 
mission to speak on questions, are extended to Rep- 
resentatives of Sovereign Bodies recognized by the 
Sovereign Grand Lodge. 

A Representative must be of the R. P. D., in 
good standing in his Lodge and Encampment, resi- 
dent in the jurisdiction he represents, and a P. G. 
in the Grand Lodge thereof. The Representatives 
are divided into two classes, one of which goes oat 
each year. And all officers and Representatives 
receive compensation for their attendance and 
expenses. 

Any P. G. of the R. P. D., in good standing in 
Lodge and Encampment, is eligible for nomination 
29 W 



838 the odd-fellow's manual. 



to any office in the Sov. G. L., by the Representa- 
tives therein, except for the offices of Grand Sire 
and Deputy Grand Sire — the candidates for which 
must be Past Grand Masters also. 

§ 3. Appointed Officers. 
These are a Worthy Grand Messenger, R. "W. 
Grand Chaplain, R. W. Grand Guardian, and R. W- 
Grand Marshal, who are appointed with the consent 
and approval of the Grand Lodge, by the Grand 
Sire at his installation, and hold office two years, 
unless removed by him for cause. He also ap- 
points District Deputy Grand Sires for each State, 
District, and Territory in which there is no Grand 
Lodge and Grand Encampment, subject to removal 
in like manner. 

1. The W. Grand Messenger prepares the room 
for the meetings of the Grand Lodge, attends its 
sessions, provides the Representatives with needed 
documents, books, stationery, &c, delivers messages 
for members and officers, keeps in order the office 
of the R. W. Grand Secretary, and executes his 
orders. For these services the Grand Lodge pays 
him a suitable salary. 

2. The R. W. Grand Chaplain opens and closes 
the Grand Lodge with prayer to the Supreme Ruler 
of the Universe. 

3. The R. W. Grand Guardian guards the door 
of the Grand Lodge room, and proves every brother 
before admission, prevents the entrance of persons 
not duly qualified, and permits none to retire with- 
out the P. W. 



SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE OF THE I. 0. 0. F. 339 



4. The R. W. Grand Marshal marshals the Sove- 
reign Grand Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., in processions and 
visitations, and makes all necessary arrangements 
for the comfort and accommodation of visitors and 
members. 

5. R. W. District Deputy Grand Sires act for 
the Grand Sire, and by his direction execute the 
laws and mandates of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, 
I. 0. 0. F., in their respective Districts. They are 
agents of the Grand Lodge under the instructions 
of the Grand Sire, and are to obey his instructions 
in all he is commanded to perform for the good of 
the Order. They are agents also of the Grand Secre- 
tary, and are to obey his special instructions in 
matters pertaining to his office. Each has general 
supervision in his District over all Subordinates 
working under charters granted by the Sovereign 
Grand Lodge, I. 0. 0. F. They are not to interfere 
with the State Grand Lodges or Encampments, and 
must report their acts and doings semi-annually to 
the Grand Sire. 

A D. D. G. Sire must be in good standing in his 
Subordinate Lodge and Encampment, have attained 
the rank of P. G. and the Degree of R. P., and, in 
States where there is a G. Lodge or a G. Encamp- 
ment, he must also be a member of the same. 

§ 4. Elective Officers. 
These are " the Most Worthy Grand Sire, Right 
W. Deputy Grand Sire, R. W. Grand Correspond- 
ing and Recording Secretary, and R. W. Grand 
Treasurer, who shall be elected by ballot by a ma- 



340 THE ODD-FELLOW ? S MANUAL. 



jority of all the votes cast, biennially, at the stated 
communication " in September — usually on the 
second day of the session — " and shall be installed " 
a at the conclusion of said stated communication.' 7 

1. The R. W. Grand Treasurer keeps the moneys 
of the Grand Lodge, pays all orders drawn on him 
by the Grand Sire, attested by the Grand Secretary 
under Seal of the Grand Lodge; and lays before 
the Grand Lodge, at its annual meeting, a full and 
correct statement of his accounts. 

2. The R. W. Grand Secretary, aided by the 
R. W. Assistant G. Secretary, carries on the cor- 
respondence of the Grand Lodge, under its direction 
or that of the Grand Sire, and lays a Report and 
abstract of the same before the Grand Lodge at its 
annual session. He also performs such other duties 
appertaining to his office as may be required by the 
Grand Lodge, and pays over to the Grand Treasurer 
all moneys paid him for the Grand Lodge. 

In addition to the duties usual to the office of 
Grand Secretaries generally, he also reports to the 
Grand Lodge, at each annual communication, a 
tabular abstract of the returns received from the 
several Bodies under jurisdiction, and a statement 
of those which have failed to report; and he dis- 
tributes, as soon as possible, copies of the Proceed- 
ings of the Grand Lodge — to each member one 
copy; to each Subordinate under immediate juris- 
diction one copy ; and to each Grand Body twice as 
many copies as it has Subordinates in jurisdiction. 
He is authorized to print two hundred copies of his 
annual report for the use of members at the annual 
session. 



SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE OF THE I. 0. 0. F. 341 



The G. Treasurer and G. Secretary are salaried 
officers, and the former gives bond with security for 
the proper discharge of his trust. 

3. The R. W. Deputy Grand Sire opens and closes 
all meetings of the Grand Lodge ; examines the 
Representatives as to their qualifications previous 
to taking their seats, and reports to the Grand Sire ; 
keeps the Secret Work for examination during the 
sessions; supports the Grand Sire by his advice and 
assistance, and presides in his absence ; and in case 
of the death, disqualification, or refusal to serve of 
that officer, he performs his duties for the remainder 
of his term. 

4. The M. W. Grand Sire, in addition to the 
duties common to the chief executive and presiding 

officer of a Grand Body, 
selects and forwards by 
the Grand Representa- 
tives, or other safe agen- 
cies, the A. T. P. W. to 
all parties entitled to it, 
so that the same shall 
go into operation on the 
first day of January in 
each year. He has a 
casting vote in a tie, ex- 
cept in the election of 
officers ; and is author- 
ized to fill vacancies in the Grand Offices, and to 
exercise a general superintendence over the interests 
of the Order, clurino; the recess of the Grand Lodo-e. 
He cannot hold any elective office in any State 

29* 




342 the odd-fellow's manual. 



Grand Body. He may print two hundred copies of 
his annual report to the Grand Lodge, for the use 
of its members at the stated session. 

5. Past Grand Sires are not officers of the Sove- 
reign Grand Lodge ; but they are honorary life 
members, having the privilege to introduce motions, 
and discuss measures, without the right to vote. 
They receive no pay for travel or attendance, nor is 
any service required of them on committees. 

§ 5. Regalia and Jewels. 

" Regalia for Grand Representatives shall be a 
collar of purple velvet, not more than four inches 
in width, with a roll of scarlet velvet on the upper 
edge, the trimmings to be of white and yellow 
metal, and the collar to be united in front with 
three links, from which may be suspended such 
medal or medals as the member may be entitled to 
wear. 

" P. G. Representatives, and the Officers and Past 
Officers of the Sov. Grand Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., to wear 
the Regalia above described. 

" The Jewel of the Grand Sire, and Past Grand 
Sire, shall be a medal three inches in diameter, of 
yellow metal, on one side of which shall be the coat- 
of-arms of the United States, surrounded by an 
ornamental edging of silver. 

"Representatives and Past Representatives shall 
be entitled to wear medals of the size and style 
above, with the coat-of-arms of the State repre- 
sented." — Digest Also By-Laws of G. L. U, S., 
Article 22. 



OF MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. 843 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

OF MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. 

§ 1. Diplomas and Cards. 

All certificates of membership designed to super- 
sede or occupy the place of the Diploma of the Sov. 
G. L. are unlawful ; and all officers of Lodges and 
Encampments are forbidden to sign or affix the offi- 
cial seal to the same. 

Diplomas are of two kinds : — 1st, To members of 
any Lodge or Encampment, and may be obtained of 
any Grand Secretary or Scribe, or D. D. G. Sire ; 
and 2d, To members of the Sov. G. L. as a testi- 
monial. Both are designed for framing. 

Cards are of four kinds — 1st, Travelling or Visit- 
ing, given to members who wish to retain their 
membership while travelling or residing abroad. 
2d, Final or Withdrawal, for members who wish to 
cease membership, either entirely, or to unite with 
some other Subordinate. These two are engraved, 
and issued by the Sov. G. L., and signed by its Grand 
Secretary. Sometimes, for greater security, State 
G. Lodges and Encampments have ordered them to 
be countersigned by their G. Secretaries and G. 
Scribes.* 3d, To daughters of Rebekah — similar 
to the above. 4th, To the Wife or Widow of a 
member, to secure her needed protection and aid. 
The Card to a wife is not granted for more than 

* From whom, only, can tliey be obtained, under seal of the Sub- 
ordinate. In filling out a card, name the bearer's rank and station, 
(as P. GL, or P. C. P.,) and (on the back) the amount of sick and 
funeral benefits granted by the Lodge or Encampment, 



344 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



twelve months — and to a Widow only during her 
widowhood. These two (to widow or wife) are 
written and issued under seal of the Subordinate 
signed by the proper officers. 

All cards must be applied for in open Lodge or 
Encampment, and granted by a majority vote before 
signing or sealing ; and be signed on the margin by 
the recipient before delivery. If sent by mail, an 
order for the A. T. P. W. should be sent in a separate 
letter, and then the card must be signed in the pres- 
ence of the officer who gives the A. T. P. W. 
Igp^No P. Word, or its explanation, should ever 
be sent in writing, by mail or otherwise. 

If a Withdrawal Card is refused to a member 
" free from all charges," he can resign from the 
Order, and that resignation should be formally 
accepted. (For forms of all these cards, &c, see. 
Appendix B., Nos. 11-18.) 

§ 2. Pass Words. 
Besides the several Pass Words imparted with the 
Degrees, there are two other kinds, designed to pre- 
serve Lodges and Encampments from imposture : 1st, 
a Term Word, which is given or sent by the G. Mas- 
ter or G. Patriarch, through the G. Secretary or G. 
Scribe, to the installing officers, and is imparted in 
each Lodge and Encampment, at the commencement 
of each term ; and, 2d, the Annual or T. P. W., 
which is given or sent by the Grand Sire to the State 
Grand Bodies, and by them sent to the installing offi- 
cers, to be imparted only to the highest elective 
officers of each Lodge and Encampment, and by them 
to members who receive Cards, and design to travel 
beyond the State or Territory. 



OP MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. 345 



§ 3. Examination of Visitors. 

When a brother holding a Visiting or Final Card 
desires to visit a Lodge or Encampment in another 
jurisdiction, he will send the Carol to the N. Gr. or C. 
P. by the Guardian or Sentinel. The Presiding Offi- 
cer will appoint a Committee of the proper rank and 
degree to examine the applicant, one of which Com- 
mittee must be in possession of the T. P. W. This 
Committee will then proceed to the ante-room with 
the Card, and there examine the applicant. First, 
the Committee-man, having the T. P. W., will ex- 
amine him in that, according to the mode laid down ; 
and in a low tone of voice, so as not to be overheard 
by those not entitled to the word. Second, the Com- 
mittee will get his signature, and compare it with 
that on the margin of his card. Third, they will 
examine him in the degrees as far as that in which 
the body is then open. All being satisfactory, they 
will then hand him the regalia of the degree in which 
he was examined. If he claim a higher degree, they 
will examine accordingly, and give the proper regalia. 
The Committee will then announce itself and visitor, 
and, on admission, and after addressing the chairs, 
the Chairman will introduce the visitor in due form, 
who will be welcomed by the Presiding officer, and 
then conducted to a seat in honorable position. His 
card, after having his visit recorded thereon by the 
Secretary or Scribe, will be handed him before the 
closing services. If he has applied for and received 
relief, the same will also be noted on the card, and 
his Encampment or Lodge immediately notified of 
the fact and the amount. 

If doubts are excited by the examination, great 
wisdom and prudence will be needed to resolve those 



346 the odd-fellow's manual. 



doubts. On the one hand, great injury threatens 
the Order — on the other is an irreparable injury to 
the feelings of a worthy but diffident or inexperienced 
brother. Counsel with the Presiding officer, or some 
of the oldest and ablest brethren, before acting de- 
cidedly. But if he prove an impostor beyond doubt, 
not only detain the card, but immediately warn 
neighboring bodies, and inform the Subordinate 
issuing the card of the facts. 

The same examination should be made of a sick 
or distressed brother, by the Chief officer who may 
be called to visit him ; but with a delicacy suited to 
the circumstances. And all visiting cards should 
be returned to the Subordinate giving them, as soon 
as expired — if by mail or third parties, tear off the 
seal, or the holder's signature, to prevent any use 
of them by unauthorized persons. 

§ 4. Honors and Courtesies. 

"In honor preferring one another," is a duty in 
our fraternity ; as is that other injunction — " Render- 
to all their dues .... honor to whom honor." Any 
dignitary, entering as an officer, is to be received as 
such; but coming only as a visiting brother, or a 
fellow-member, official honors may be omitted ; but 
fraternal courtesies must not be withheld. They are 
his due, as they are the due of the humblest in rank 
and lowest in degree. " Be courteous " — " honor all 
men." 

Grand Honors are to be paid only to those entitled 
to them, and only on proper occasions, or when pre- 
scribed in ceremonials. They are part of the secret 
work of the Order, and are never to be given before 
the uninitiated, in public or in private. 



OF MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. 347 



§ 5. General Interdicts. 

u The Emblems of the Order cannot be used for busi- 
ness purposes in connection with any advertisement 
or public display not appertaining to the wants of 
the Order." — {Digest G. L. U. S.) Their use, as above 
forbidden, subjects to expulsion. Avoid the hotel, 
store, &c, where they are thus employed — the owner, 
if an Odd-Fellow, should be reported and dealt with. 

" Refreshments in the way of edibles or beverages 
(except water), shall be strictly excluded from all 
Lodge-rooms, or ante-rooms or halls connected with 
or adjoining thereto, under the control of any Sub- 
ordinate or Degree Lodge or Encampment of this 
Order." And " no Subordinate Lodge or Encamp- 
ment of this Order shall hold any anniversary or 
other celebration, ball, or party, where the regalia of 
the Order may be worn, or the name of the Order 
assumed, without the consent of the Grand Master 
or Grand Patriarch of the jurisdiction first obtained 
in writing — such permission to be predicated only 
upon the direct promise, (through the officers of the 
Subordinate seeking the permission,) that no intoxi- 
cating beverages of any kind shall be offered to the 
members or guests present on the occasion. " Adopted 
unanimously by the G. L. U. S. — See Journal of 1864, 
p. 3709. Also, 1872, pp. 5550 and 5577. 

" Gift Enterprises" Lotteries, $c. — " No Lodge or 
Encampment, or any of the members thereof, shall, 
in the name of the Order, resort to any scheme of 
Raffles, Lotteries, or Gift Enterprises, or schemes of 
hazard or chance of any kind, as a means to raise 
funds for any purpose of relief or assistance to such 
Subordinates, or to individual members." — Proceed- 
ings of G. L. U. &, 1866, pp. 3953, 3987, and 3988. 



PART THIRD.* 



1. Introduction. 



Like all institutions which have shown their right to 
exist, by continuance, for many years, through great and 
numerous changes in society and governments, Odd- 
Fellowship was imperatively called into being by human 
wants and necessities, and was founded on great reli- 
gious principles common to humanity. Without such 
origin, and aside from such basis, no institution can 

* The R. W. Grand Lodge of the United States, in September, 
1874, directed the discontinuance of all unauthorized publications 
of its ceremonials. In obedience thereto, those which heretofore 
occupied this Third Part of the Manual will now and henceforth 
be omitted. We might rightfully continue those for dedicating 
halls and cemeteries ; as they were originally published in this 
work, in 1852, by consent of their author, the late Professor H. 
S. Patterson, M. D. But unwilling even to seem to interfere with 
the wishes or interests of our Great Alma Mater, we cheerfully 
resign to her all right to publish and profit by the ceremoniala 
above named. 

Yet, not to diminish the size of the Manual, nor to lessen its 
value to purchasers or readers, we occupy the vacated pages with 
the following Rationale or Philosophy of Odd Fellowship, as an 
appropriate elope to the preceding contents of the volume. 

348 



INTRODUCTION. 349 



long survive the frequent changes constantly occurring 
in human opinions, customs, and conditions, and the 
all- wasting influences of time. The practical applica- 
tions of these principles to ameliorate and relieve those 
wants, gradually grew into well-devised and regular 
methods; at first almost entirely peculiar to our Order 
alone, though afterward adopted, wholly or in part, by 
other organizations. These principles, and their prac- 
tical applications, were, from the beginning, impressed 
on the minds and feelings of initiates and members, by 
suitable lectures and charges, by mysterious forms and 
ceremonials, and by ingeniously expressive symbolic 
rites, well calculated to enforce the solemn duties thus 
inculcated. This entire system of principle, precept, 
and practice, with its illustrations by emblems, scenic 
representations, and parables, gradually grew into a 
great educational institution, seldom excelled in its 
beneficent results, if, indeed, it has ever been equalled, 
by any merely human association. The amount of suf- 
ferings prevented and miseries relieved, the number of 
minds informed and enlightened, and of characters im- 
proved and exalted, by its humble means and agencies, 
is almost beyond belief. And this entire system or insti- 
tution, as it has come down to, and now exists among 
us, we call Odd- Fellowship ; and having given, in the 
preceding portions of this book, its origin and history, 
its teachings and government, and the duties and obli- 
gations of its officers and members, we now will unfold, 
more in detail and with greater particularity, the Ra- 
tionale or Philosophy of its inmost spirit, of the faith 
which directs its movements, of the operations which 
constitute its power and influence, and of the peculiar 
methods by which it instructs and educates its mem- 
bers. 

30 



350 the odd-fellow's manual. 



§ 2. Origin in Human Wants. 

Long- before Odd Fellowship had a name and an or- 
ganization, its operations had origin in the necessitous 
conditions of human society. Our Order arose out of 
this condition. It began among those who needed aid, 
and felt their obligations to render aid in return. Sir 
Walter Scott, in the Black Dwarf (Chapter xvi. ), has 
so well and truly set forth this condition of humanity 
and the obligations it imposes, that Ave cannot do better 
than borrow his expressive language. The story is of 
Isabella Vere, whose father, to save himself from ruin, 
was urging her into a hateful marriage. She is induced 
to apply to a deformed and hideous-featured dwarf who. 
many years previous, had been driven to misanthropy 
and solitude, by being supplanted in his youthful love 
by Isabella's father. She, ignorant of this fact, appeals 
to the dwarf to save her father and herself. At twilight, 
in the Solitary's hut on Mucklestane Moor, while she is 
shrinking in terror before the wild and strange inmate 
and his weird surroundings, she hears and answers his 
fierce assertions of total self-reliance, and entire inde- 
pendence of human association. He says: 

" Why should one being desire aid of another ? Why 
should not each be sufficient to itself? Look round 
you — I, the most despised and most decrepit on Nature's 
common, have required sympathy and help from no one. 
These stones are of my own piling; these utensils I 
framed with my own hands; and with this" — and he 
laid his hand with a fierce smile on the long dagger 
which he always wore beneath his garment, and un- 
sheathed it so far that the blade glimmered clear in the 
fire-light — " with this," he pursued, as he thrust the 
weapon back into the scabbard, "I can, if necessary, de- 



ORIGIN IN HUMAN WANTS. 351 

fend the vital spark inclosed in this poor trunk, against 
the fairest and strongest that shall threaten me with 
injury. . . .This," continued the Recluse, "is the life of 
Nature — solitary, self-sufficing, and independent. The 
wolf calls not the wolf to aid him in forming his den; 
and the vulture invites not another to assist her in strik- 
ing down her prey. " 

"And when they are unable to procure themselves 
support," said Isabella, judiciously thinking he would be 
most accessible to argument couched in his own meta- 
phorical style, " what then is to befall them ? " 

' w Let them starve, die, and be forgotten ; it is the 
common lot of humanity." 

" It is the lot of the wild tribes of nature," said Isa- 
bella, " but chiefly of those who are destined to support 
themselves by rapine, which brooks no partner ; but it 
is not the law of nature in general; even the lowei 
orders have confederacies for mutual defence. But 
mankind ! — the race would perish did they cease to aid 
each other. From the time that the mother binds the 
child's head, till the moment that some kind assistant 
wipes the death-damp from the brow of the dying, we 
can no^. exist without mutual help. All, therefore, that 
need aid, have right to ask it of their fellow-mortals ; 
no one who has the power of granting can refuse it 
without guilt." 

Here, then, we have, clearly stated, the fact, and the 
necessary obligation arising out of it. "All, therefore, 
that need aid, hate right to ask it of their fellow- mor- 
tals ; NO ONE WHO HAS THE POWER OF GRANTING, CAN 

refuse it without guilt." This natural morality, or 
obligation imposed by human necessity, is in accord 
with the injunctions of all religions worthy of the name. 
The Old Testament is very emphatic on the subject. 



852 

Addressing the children of Israel, who had just been 
delivered from the bondage and oppression of Egypt, 
it enforces the duty by reference to their past necessi- 
ties and their future ability to relieve those in similar 
want. One passage, as a sample, will suffice. Deut. 
xv. 7, 8, 10, 11. " If there be among you a poor man 
of one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates in thy 
land which the Lord thy G-od giveth thee, thou shalt 
not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from thy 
poor brother : but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto 
him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, 

in that which he wanteth Thou shalt surely 

give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when 
thou givest unto him : because that for this thing the 
Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in 
all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor 
shall never cease out of the land : therefore I command 
thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy 
brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in the land." 
The continuance of the poor in the land keeps the obli- 
gation in similar continuance. 

The Christian Scriptures, besides bringing to view 
and re-enforcing the injunctions of Moses and the 
Prophets, abound in like precepts, made living by the 
parable of the Good Samaritan, and the numerous 
illustrations in life-labors of the Great Teacher. Be- 
sides, we know by frequent observation, if not by the 
sad experience to which all are liable, that the Eich of 
to-day may, at any time, become the Poor of to-mor- 
row. 

The truth is, that man, simply as man — aside from all 
relations and dependencies created by state, church, or 
family ; by party, sect, or clan — man, simply as man, is 
a dependent and necessitous being; and needs aid, even 



SELF-LOVE AND PHILANTHKOPT. 353 



when most able to impart it. This fact and its conse- 
quent duty began to be linked together in the minds of 
men at a very early period in the history of our race ; 
but, probably, not as a universal duty, nor with the 
force set forth by Walter Scott. But it was felt and 
acted upon in families, among kindred, between friends 
and friendly tribes and nations; and was embodied in 
the form of covenants, leagues, and treaties. It was 
customary for covenanting friends to give tokens, by 
which the holder might be recognized as a member of 
the covenant. Thus, a piece of bone, stone, or metal, 
was made with a level surface, on which was inscribed 
or engraved a word or sentence. It was then broken, 
and a piece with part of the inscription was retained by 
each. On joining the parts, the whole word or sentence 
would be made apparent, and the holder be recognized. 
It is supposed that the Revelator (ii. 17) alludes to such 
a custom in the phrase, " and will give him a white stone, 
and in the stone a new name written which no man 
knoweth saving he that receiveth it." The Mason of 
the Mark degree claims that his token has the same ori- 
gin, and is used in similar manner and for similar pur- 
poses. 

§ 3. Self- Love and Philanthropy. 

But it may be (as it has been) said, that all this 
proves such covenants, with their mutual aid and relief, 
to be merely selfish, and, therefore, far from being hu- 
mane and benevolent. This conclusion would brand 
nearly all the humanity and benevolence in the world 
as base and unworthy of approval. God begins teaching 
men by appeals to selfishness — leading us onward and 
upward from our low estate to a higher and better. 
His standard for human goodness is measured from 
30* X 



354 the odd-fellow's manual. 



man's self. " So ought men to love their wives as their 
own "bodies; he that loveth his wife loveth himself. For 
no man ever yet hated his own flesh." (Eph. v. 28, 29.) 
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matt, 
xix. 19.) And even the Golden Eule measures our do- 
ings to others by our desires for ourselves. And in 
God's providence He educates us by making human de- 
pendence and human wants so mutual, that even our 
self-love leads us to compassionate the sufferings of our 
fellow-beings. Many an unsympathizing physician and 
nurse have become tender of heart and gentle of hand 
by being made to feel in their own persons the pains and 
irritations of disease. Many a cold and indifferent heart 
has been quickened into activity in behalf of the poor, 
the oppressed, or the outcast, by a personal experience 
of poverty, oppression, or overmastering temptation and 
sin. Not until he, himself, had endured the horrors of 
captivity in a French prison, did the philanthropist 
Howard become earnestly interested in prison reforms 
and similar benevolent labors. Yet who will deny the 
merit of these good deeds — all of which took their rise 
in personal suffering, whereby love of self was enlarged 
into pity for others. Indeed, the most selfish hearts are 
often thus compelled of God, as it were, to burst the 
hard envelope, and come forth from the narrow and 
bitter bud into blossoming and fruitfulness. 

Thus a general mutuality of dependence and wants 
brought forth covenants and associations for common 
defence and support against impending dangers and 
sufferings. All through the feudal ages of Europe 
there were " Guilds," each embracing the members of a 
single mechanic art, and binding them to give aid tc 
those of that particular handicraft. These guilds of 
each art or trade were not affiliated with those of anv 



PROVIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS. 355 



other art or trade, and recognized no obligation to ren- 
der special aid to members of any handicraft but their 
own. But about 1712, most of these guilds having 
fallen into decay, those of Operative Masons were open- 
ed to receive others than practical builders, and thus 
began Speculative Free Masonry, with its peculiar obli- 
gations of brotherly support and charity, which has 
been gradually enlarged into its present magnificence 
and extensive operations. Through the same period, in 
Great Britain, there are similar traces and records of 
what are called "Friendly Societies." Then, as now, 
they were bound to render specified pecuniary aid to 
their members in particular circumstances — some on 
the occasion of a death, or of a birth ; some only dur- 
ing sickness, or when out of work ; others, on two, or 
more such occasions of want. These friendly societies 
are numerous in Great Britain at this day, and were, 
and are now, formed for various fixed periods of time — 
many for a term of one year only. They were not 
affiliated until about, or shortly after, the time when 
Speculative Masonry was grafted on Operative Masonry. 
Then some of them, it is believed, sought greater per- 
manency and more extensive operations by becoming 
affiliated, and organizing as Lodges of Odd-Fellows. 

§ 4. Providential Developments. 

There is something touching and beautiful in the 
workings of Divine Providence on the human mind and 
sympathies, by which these separate and isolated socie- 
ties became affiliated and widely spread organizations; 
and their limited and irregularly given reliefs were en- 
larged into efficient and well-digested plans and systems. 
Man's extremity is said to be God's opportunity. Cer- 
tain it is, that generally when human need reaches its 



356 the odd-fellow's manual. 



worst, Divine Wisdom points out a way to relief, and 
Infinite Goodness provides a supply. 

Mankind had long been divided by the differences 
which estrange men from each other, and constitute 
them hostile nations, communities, and sects. People 
living in lands separated by a mountain range or nar- 
row stream, felt bound, by that separation, to abhor and 
hate each other. The occasions for dislike, however few 
or trivial, were deemed sufficient to blot out all reasons 
and motives for friendship and love. Difference in dress 
or diet, or in forms of worship and salutation, was made 
a standing cause of aversion and dislike. And when no 
present grievance could be found, the strifes and feuds 
of past generations were stirred up into remembrance, 
and the old bloody wars were fought over, again and again, 
with renewed hate and increased ferocity. And not 
only tribes and nations, but men of the same nation or 
tribe were further subdivided and arrayed in hostility 
to each other as clans, parties, or sects, who would have 
no dealings, no social intercourse with each other. And, 
to add to alb these alienations, the factitious distinctions 
of caste, rank, wealth, and even learning, crept in, and 
still further separated, in mind and heart, those of the 
same clan, party, sect, or school. For long ages of 
alienation, discord, and strife, the name of (i stranger" 
and of " enemy " conveyed the same idea to the mind, 
and roused the same bitter feeling in the heart. And, 
everywhere, the oppression and degradation of this state 
of all-pervading division and warfare fell heaviest and 
hardest on the poor and the lowly — on the sons and 
daughters of poverty and toil. 

Even at this day, in the light of a genial civilization 
and under the ameliorating influences of religion, we 
still behold many of these bonds holding back parties, 



PKOVIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS. 35 ? 



castes and sects from any union with each other, and 
the distinctions of rank and wealth interposing to keep 
apart kindred minds and congenial souls. Narrow pre- 
judices based on ignorance and misrepresentations, 
fears of sectarian anathemas or social ostracism, with- 
hold thousands from uniting with the good and the 
wise, even with beloved kindred and friends, in the 
most humane and benevolent institutions and opera- 
tions of the age ! 

It is therefore cause not only for wonder but for admi- 
ration as well, that men were thus providentially led to 
enlarge their mutuality of aid and support from embra- 
cing merely the individual or the family, into associations 
including many such individuals and families, and thence 
to the inclusion of a whole class or trade of toilers, and 
especially of such as traveled widely and from nation to 
nation. Finding the limited special aid so beneficial, 
it was extended to embrace the relief of other wants and 
sufferings. And finding how cheering and useful was 
the communion and support of workers in the same 
trade or handicraft, it was natural that they should 
desire the social intercourse, and counsel in difficulty, 
of friends of other crafts, and so opened the narrow 
guild into a lodge for all free and free-born men. The 
friendly societies, also, having before them the example 
of these guilds, and the frequent benefits conferred on 
the poor and the lowly by their own isolated and tem- 
porary associations, could not but feel that greater per- 
manency and more extensive aid would remove many 
other difficulties and supply many unrelieved wants. 
This could be attained only through closer organization 
and affiliation with kindred associations. Hence we are " 
not surprised to find that about the beginning of the 
last century a number of working men, feeling that rank 



358 THE ODD-FELLCW's MANUAL. 



and wealth would degrade them if they could, resolved 
to unite in aiding and supporting each other. Know- 
ing, also, how sectarian and party strifes estrange men 
from each other and render them powerless and abject 
by such divisions, they excluded all such distinctions 
and topics from their meetings, and resolved only to 
know, to love, and to labor for each other as men, as 
brethren. 

Happily, the Odd-Fellows enlarged the basis of their 
fraternity beyond those only who were born free, and 
adopted the broader basis of humanity — the universal 
brotherhood of the race — as a bond of faith and unity. 
And on this basis, and its correlative truths and obliga- 
tions, they built up a system of provisions for varied 
wants and sufferings, which have not been excelled by 
any society on record. And this is probably because 
they were, generally, of that humble class whose daily 
wages barely sufficed for daily wants. When sickness 
prevented labor, aid was needed to eke out the scanty 
hoard; when work failed, they needed help to seek em- 
ployment elsewhere; when absent, seeking work, aid 
was needed to care for and supply their families ; when 
sick, and their wives were worn down by increased cares 
and loss of sleep, they needed nightly watchers by the 
sick-bed; when wife or husband at last sunk in death, 
they needed means to keep the loved form out of a 
pauper's coffin, and sympathizing brethren to mingle 
with the mourners, and give the departed decent burial; 
and when widowed mother and orphan children wept in 
woe, aggravated by cheerless want, there was need of 
comforters who would stand between them and famine, 
and educate the hapless orphans with fatherly tender- 
ness. And then with each of these cravings came an- 
other — a desire to claim these aids as some kind of 



BRITISH AND AMERICAN ORDERS. 359 



right — that such relief was not alms — that the recipient 
should not be deemed a pauper. Ood bless this honest, 
proper pride! for though of little worth in itself, it holds 
up our manhood and womanhood, as the woody stalk of 
the flax upholds the precious lint from falling to the 
earth a soiled and tangled mass. All these wants were 
duly, if not amply, provided for, as thus isolated and 
short-lived friendly societies became affiliated and per- 
petual, with increased obligations of fellowship, and en- 
larged helpfulness in the ways and means of mutual 
relief. To their social and business meetings they 
gradually introduced secret rites of initiation, and 
lectures for degrees of advancement, with secret signs 
and words for recognition, and moral instruction by 
symbols and emblems. And thus Providence opened 
the way, and led them forward into those early organiza- 
tions of Odd-Fellowship — compelling them, as it seems, 
by their own necessities and sufferings, to provide re- 
lief for those of others. 

§ 5. British and American Orders. 

Unfortunately, as Odd-Fellows became numerous, 
some impelling desire for special social, pecuniary, or 
other advantages, induced changes in signs and forms, 
or modes of relief, or in government, and thus led them 
to divide and organize other orders of Odd-Fellowship. 
Hence, at no distant time, there were in Great Britain 
and its dependencies some twenty-seven orders of Odd- 
Fellows, namely: Manchester Unity, Nottingham Order, 
Nottingham Imperial Order, Grand United Order, Derby 
Midland Order, London Unity, West Bromwich Unity. 
Handsworth Unity, Bolton Unity, Kingston Unity. 
Wolverhampton Unity, Brighton Unity, National Order. 
British Order, Staffordshire Order, Grand City of Lon- 



360 the odd-fellow's manual. 



don Order, Auxiliary Order, Leicester Order, Albion 
Order, Norfolk and Norwich Order, Ancient Independ- 
ent, British United, Leeds United, Nottingham Loyal, 
Enrolled, Independent, and Free and Independent. Of 
these, many are comparatively feeble and inefficient — 
mere beginnings, or remnants left after a long struggle. 
But the Manchester Unity, a few years ago, was de- 
scribed in Chambers' Encyclopaedia as " one of the most 
extensive self-governed provident associations in the 
world." 

In this country the Order had early taken a higher 
moral standard than is even yet attained by any in Brit- 
ain; and, immediately after its separation from British 
Odd-Fellows, it further advanced its standard of moral 
and intellectual excellence. But probably the exclusion 
of all intoxicants from its meetings removed the princi- 
pal cause of the strifes and differences which have so 
frequently divided the Orders on the other side of the 
Atlantic. And by expressly declaring the Order to be 
progressive in its character, and conforming ritual, 
operations, and governments to this progress in the 
opinions, feelings, and wants of the Brotherhood, it has 
been enabled to keep "the unity of the spirit in the 
bonds of peace." Thus, without any lasting jar or 
actual division, it continues its onward career of pros- 
perous beneficence and its upward course of improve- 
ment, until it now is, on the whole, the equal in 
strength and resources of the great Unity from which it 
separated in 1842. At the commencement of 1874 the 
Manchester Unity had 481,630 members in the king- 
dom and its various colonies and dependencies, being a 
net gain of 10,587 members during 1873. The O. L. 
U. S., at the same period, had a membership of 414,815 
(not including Lodges in Europe and South America, 



RELIGIOUS FOUNDATION. 361 



nor Daughters of Rebekah), being a net gain of 29,767 
members during the year. The total income of the 
Manchester Unity for 1873 was £608,866 (about $3,044, 
330), of which it expended in relief £392,624 (about 
$1,963,120). The receipts of the G. L. U. S. for the 
same period were $4,434,001, and the amount expended 
for relief was $1,490,274. The interest on invested 
capital (£121,378) is included as part of the income of 
the Manchester Unity, while the numerous invest- 
ments of our State and subordinate bodies are not in- 
cluded in the foregoing statement. 

§ 6. Religious Foundation. 

But human necessities and wants, though they may 
originate and greatly advance an institution, are not 
always sufficient to perpetuate it. Without some basis 
in man's religious feelings, and a consequent moral 
cement to bind its members in mutual affection and 
well-doing, it must, sooner or later, lapse back to original 
selfishness, and crumble to pieces in general distrust and 
oversweeping dishonesty. To recur again to the dia- 
logue between the Black Dwarf and Isabella Vere, 
where dissocial principles and antagonistic interests 
are set forth as unfavorable to union and perpetuity. 
The Black Dwarf had truly said: " The wolf calls not 
the wolf to aid him in forming his den ; and the vul- 
ture invites not another to assist her in striking down 
her prey" — a fact readily accounted for in Isabella's 
reply, that selfishness is solitary, and peculiar only to 
" the wild tribes of nature ; but chiefly those who are 
destined to support themselves by rapine, which 
brooks NO partner." Here we have a reason why no 
human organization based on falsehood, operating by 
fraud, and having mere selfish gain in view, can long 
31 



362 the odd-fellow's manual. 



remain united or continue in existence. Dissocial in 
its very elements, its members and their interests 
arrayed against each other, it must not only fall apart 
for want of cohesion, but, as soon as the outer pressure 
which holds it together is removed, it must burst 
asunder by its own antagonistic operations and the re- 
pulsion of all its parts to each other. 

Past prosperity and unity proves our Order generally 
free from such discordant selfishness. Nor has it been 
based merely on human necessities, and the rights and 
obligations growing therefrom. As far back as its his- 
tory sheds light on the past, Odd-Fellowship appears 
based on certain great truths, which are, alike, axioms 
among all nations, tongues, and creeds. In some of the 
great religious systems of the world, these truths were 
secretly held, and only dimly shadowed forth in tradi- 
tionary and mythological fables. In others, they were 
clearly revealed and explicitly taught, as in the Jewish 
and Christian Scriptures, Thus generally received by 
mankind, they are not sectarian in any proper sense, 
and they cannot, therefore, be considered as the exclusive 
property of any sect. We will again state what these 
great principles or doctrines are, w r hich are presented in 
Odd-Fellowship as the basis and source of all the pre- 
cepts it teaches and duties it enjoins; and to which it 
requires the solemn assent of every member. 

First, It requires of every candidate for initiation an 
expression of his faith and trust in a Supreme Intelli- 
gence as the Creator and Preserver of the Universe. 
Without this, in advance, he cannot receive our fellow- 
ship as Odd-Fellows, nor appropriate to himself the in- 
struction conveyed in many of our signs and emblems — 
especially the All-seeing Eye, with its motto, " In God 
we trust." Second, When he enters our portals he will 



tfOT SECTARIAN". 363 



be tan glit. in a summary of the principles which animate 
and permeate eyery degree and office of the Order, that 
this Supreme Intelligence, the Creator and Preserver ol 
the universe, is also our Father—" the Father of the 
spirits of all flesh" — " in whom we live, and move, and 
have our being." Third, Thus recognizing the Great 
Author of our existence as our Father, we learn to look 
upon each other as brethren, being equally the offspring 
of the same Parent, and designed, as such, to reflect in 
our nature and relations the image of Him after whose 
likeness man was formed. On these three divisions of 
the great principle of God's Fatherhood is based our 
Odd-Fellowship. Our forefathers wisely made this prin- 
ciple the corner-stone of the entire institution. We are, 
therefore, brothers, not alone in the recognition of the 
same truth, but also by virtue of the fact which that 
truth discloses — that God " hath made of one blood all 
nations of men that dwell upon all the face of the earth." 
As brothers, then, we are bound, in all our intercourse, 
to illustrate the truthfulness of our profession by recip- 
rocal relief and kindly offices to one another in the day 
of trial. And by these ties and obligations we are also 
bound to wage unrelenting war against vice in all its 
forms. Friendship towards man prompts the contest, 
the gentle influences of Love supply the weapons, and 
Truth consecrates the effort and leads to victory. The 
Fatherhood of God — the Brotherhood of man — these are 
the great lights which our Faith holds up to guide — the 
zeal which Hope inspires to warm — the bonds wherewith 
Charity binds all true Odd-Fellows. 

§ 7. Not Sectarian. 

But while we thus require a decided assent to the 
great doctrine of God's existence and Fatherhood, we do 



364 the odd-fellow's manual. 



not ask such belief in any sectarian sense, nor consider 
our Lodges as ecclesiastical organizations. Either of 
these positions might tend to array our Order against 
sects or churches which hold these same doctrines in a 
subordinate or different sense. This we disclaim. We 
are antagonistic to no religion, least of all to any which 
holds the belief in G-od as the Father of all. It is un- 
just, therefore, to deem and term us anti-Christian, be- 
cause we admit men of all religions into the Order, the 
same as is done by any business or general humane in- 
stitution. Banks, insurance companies, railroad, and 
other associations, admit all sects and classes of religion- 
ists as members — are they, therefore, opposed to Chris- 
tianity? Societies for the support of widows and of 
orphans, of the aged and infirm, admit all who ask mem- 
bership, without regard to creed — are they, therefore, 
anti-Christian? 

So, Odd-Fellowship, though based on the recognition 
and practice of great religious truths, is not a sect, nor 
are our Lodges and Encampments churches, in any cor- 
rect sense of those terms. True, we have a religious test — 
we use forms of worship — no Lodge or Encampment can 
be legally opened without the presence of a Bible, and 
we frequently read valuable lessons from that sacred 
volume, and draw from it our moral code and the pecu- 
liar instruction which unfolds our obligations to God 
and our brother-man. So far we are a religious body, 
and have a religious faith for the basis of our fellowship 
and to unite us in religious duty. But we are religious, 
each, for himself, uniting in heart and form only so far 
as judgment, conscience, and the affections can unite in 
belief and worship — as a man of any one sect worships 
in the congregation of a different sect. And we hold 
our religious creed only as a common foundation-prin- 



NOT SECTAKIAST. 365 



ciple, on which every one, for himself, may build, with 
mind and heart, whatever else he deems necessary to 
believe and profess. But our moral and social duties are 
those to our fellow-man, to onr country, and to our 
kindred and friends, which all churches acknowledge to 
be binding on all. 

Here permit an illustration, given from memory, from 
the writings of Mrs. Barbauld : — One Sunday morning a 
father took his little son for a stroll through town. The 
bells were ringing, and people were flocking in all (and 
often opposite) directions to their respective churches. 
Shortly after, father and son looked in on the Catholic 
worshiping in the many forms and splendid accessories 
of that church. Thence they went to see the Friends 
(Quakers) in their plain meeting-house, with its 
unpainted but clean benches, where the worshipers sat 
with covered heads, waiting in solemn silence for the 
Spirit to move them to utterance. Thence to the Meth- 
odist chapel, resounding with the fervid prayers and 
enthusiastic hymns in which the worshipers expressed 
their petitions and praises. From there they went to 
the Presbyterian church, and saw the gravity of 
demeanor with which, in measured words, they wor- 
shiped God. The wondering child looked on all these 
differing modes of devotion in silence, but at last 
inquired of his father why all did not worship the same 
God in the same manner. 

"My son," said the father, "in these things God per- 
mits men to differ." 

Soon the churches closed their services and the con- 
gregations poured forth into the streets, crossing each 
other's ways in every direction, as they hurried toward 
their homes. Just then a poor man fell down in a fit, 
and his wife and children moved all hearts with their 
31* 



366 -THE odd-fellow's manual. 



lamentations. A Catholic held the sick man's head on 
his breast, a Presbyterian ran for a doctor, a Methodist 
held a bottle of smelling-salts to the poor man's nose, a 
Friend took charge of and soothed the terrified wife and 
children — all were full of sympathy, all were active to 
aid. The father and son observed the whole scene with 
great interest, and the father impressively said : 
" My son, in these things God made men to agree." 
Odd-Fellowship wisely leaves men to differ in all 
those things in which God permits them to differ, and 
strives to unite them in active agreement in all those 
things in which God made them to agree. Permit us, 
then, to repeat our statement in reply to a frequent if 
not wide-spread misapprehension of the exact position 
of our Order on this subject. 

There are few churches that do not require some 
items of belief, or some practices or ceremonials, in con- 
flict with- the faith or forms of other churches. But all 
may enter an Odd-Fellow's Lodge without giving up 
any article of faith, or abandoning any religious duty. 
Why this difference? Because of the principles on 
which and the purposes for which they are respectively 
founded and organized. A church is based on certain 
doctrines concerning God's nature, purposes, and gov- 
ernment, and man's nature, duty, and destiny. These 
doctrines and duties, being understood differently by 
different minds, each difference of opinion becomes an 
element to divide men into sects, each sect tenacious of 
its own views and practices, and therefore requiring 
unity in faith and conformity in practice of its mem- 
bers; for otherwise its great aim, to spread its doctrines 
and enforce compliance with its requirements, would be 
defeated. But every man (otherwise qualified) who 
believes in God as the Father of all, may become an Odd- 



NOT SECTARIAN". 367 



Fellow. For our principal aim is to induce men to per- 
form the duties which man owes to his fellow-man. All 
his obligations to God, to his church, his country, his 
family — all his items of belief, religious and political — ■ 
remain just as they were before he united with us. It 
is the man (not the partisan nor the sectarian) who 
becomes an Odd-Fellow; and he becomes one not by 
ceasing to be what he was, but by becoming what he 
now is. 

In becoming an Odd-Fellow, he enters into a repre- 
sentation of a family in the human family — into a fra- 
ternity designed to represent the great human frater- 
nity — whose principal aim is, by active efforts to ameli- 
orate human suffering, and thus improve and elevate 
the characters of its members. And all the instructions 
by lectures, ritual, emblems, and regalia — all the exem- 
plifications, by visiting the sick, relieving the distressed, 
burying the dead, aiding the widow and educating the 
orphan — are designed to make him a better man — 
better in every relation he bears to Church and State, 
or to his brethren, his family, and his race. And this is 
why Odd-Fellowship never conflicts with or opposes any 
religious truth or duty. In the whole universe full of 
truth and good, no truth, no good can clash with or de- 
stroy any other. "We may not expressly teach some 
special truth, but what we do teach does not deny it. 
We may not enjoin some specified duty, but our pre- 
cepts do not forbid its performance. So far, therefore, 
as it requires any faith, Odd-Fellowship is not against 
Christianity; for that teaches what we require ; and all 
our precepts are those of Jesus — for however the world 
may be divided on doctrines, all are generally united 
on duties. In like manner, Odd-Fellowship employs 
the Bible — the general spirit and the emblems it 



368 the odd-fellow's manual. 



furnishes — only as inculcating principles, enforcing 
duties, and illustrating lessons received and taught of 
all good men. So far as all can agree, without violence 
to any member's faith and conscience, we believe and 
work together — no further. When we differ in belief 
or duty, each goes his own way, acts in his own mode, 
accordiug to his own faith and conscience. 

§ 8. Our Devotional Forms. 

This freedom to believe as directed by the best lights 
judgment can find, and to serve God as faith and con- 
science dictate, has framed and moulded the prayers 
and other devotional forms of the Order ; so that all 
can unite in their utterance. But it has been truly 
said that some are willing to talk and write about re- 
ligion, and to sacrifice time and money for religion, and 
even to die for religion, who are not willing to live it. 
So with prayers. Those who seem to lack greatly the 
spirit of prayer, are apt to be most zealous in criticising 
the prayers of others. And this criticism is generally 
most severe, not on what is in the prayers, but on what 
is not in them — not on the spirit by which the life is 
brought into harmony with the petitions, but on some 
mere word or phrase, used or not used. It has been 
thus with most good reforms, in which men of differing 
creeds united. Their sincerity was doubted, their piety 
questioned, their best deeds ascribed to selfish motives, 
because, in the prayers which they united in using, 
some cant phrase or pet idea, some theological shibbo- 
leth or sectarian war-slogan had been omitted ! Odd- 
Fellows have met the same petty persecution and un- 
charitable condemnation. Not what is in our prayers 
and devotional forms, but what is not in them, has been 
seized upon as cause of offense, and they have been 



OUR DEVOTIONAL FORMS. 369 



called unchristian, anti-Christian, heathenish, and blas- 
phemous, because some special phrase or form of words 
was not found there. Yet our forms are suited to 
times and occasions, they are appropriate and reverent 
in language, and they clearly and fully express our 
thanksgivings and supplications. They are also in 
accord with the feelings and desires of our hearts, and 
with the spirit and aims of our Order, and answers of 
inward peace and outward prosperity have been vouch- 
safed in return, by Him who hears and answers prayer. 
And in further justification, we declare that just such 
prayers have been offered up in all past ages by patri- 
archs and prophets, whom our critics admit to have been 
among the wisest and best of olden time ; and by Jesus 
of Nazareth, himself, and by his apostles after him. I 
have a strong repugnance to criticise sincere prayers — 
even to defend them against coldly-carping censors. 
They are so sacredly each man's own, and so wholly a 
matter between his own soul and its Maker, that I 
wonder how any one can presume to dictate in what 
precise form of words they shall be clothed. Instead of 
wordy strifes about prayer, I wish there was more soul- 
felt praying — more heart-communing with God. Then 
would there be rejoicing that people of various religious 
beliefs could unite, as do Odd-Fellows, in offering rever- 
ential prayer and praise to the Father of all. Our Fra- 
ternity, as a body or class, makes no great pretensions 
to religion. Yet not a few of them are persons of un- 
doubted piety, of strong religious faith, with fervent 
love to God and man, and warm devotional feelings. 
Of these, some are ministers in various denominations, 
and others are members in good repute in their respect- 
ive churches. Yet these are most likely to respond, as 
did a good clergyman to a boaster who asked him, "Have 

Y 



370 



you got religion ? " " None to boast of. " And that all 
these good men, sincere Christians of so many different 
denominations, can heartily unite in the religious exer- 
cises of our Order, and feelingly respond with a fervent 
"Amen!" is surely no light testimony to the correct- 
ness and value of our devotional forms. 

As to the omissions charged, of such phrases as " the 
Holy Trinity," " Triune God," or of any recognition, 
in express words, of Christ as the Saviour of the world, 
or as the second person in the Godhead — and the 
charge that our prayers are so framed that any religion- 
ist, Christian, Jewish, or Mohammedan, can unite in 
them — as to all these criticisms, we place our prayers 
alongside of those recorded in the Old and New Testa- 
ments ; ivhich are liable to the same objections and cen- 
sures I Turn to the prayers of that Mother in Israel, 
Hannah (1 Samuel ii. 11) ; of Solomon at the dedica- 
tion of the Temple (1 Kings viii. 23-61) ; of David in 
his numerous psalms ; of Nehemiah (i. 5-11) ; and of 
Joh, and of Agur, and of others. Or, if instances are 
needed from the New Testament, you will find similar 
omissions, and similar adaptations to all classes of re- 
ligionists, in prayers which were undoubtedly accepted 
of God. Take the brief but sincere prayer of the 
humble publican and sinner (Luke xviii. 10-14), and 
contrast it with that of the precise Pharisee, who used 
the great " I " five times, while he named " God " only 
once ! Or turn to the prayer of the Apostles (Acts i. 
24, 25), and of Jesus (Matt. xxvi. 39, and John xvii. 
1-26), and to the very full and clear teachings of 
Christ, when he taught his disciples how to pray 
(Matt. vi. 5-16) ; and notice particularly that " The 
Lord's Prayer" has the same adaptations and the same 
omissions for which the forms in use by our Order are 



EXTENT OF FELLOWSHIP. 371 



so severely censured! Our devotional forms, then, 
seem to be fully warranted, in their general phrase- 
ology, by authorities which their condemners will 
hardly call in question. And as they grew up out of 
our successive wants, and were framed to meet our 
varying conditions ; and as they accord with our views 
of God, and our trust in Him as our Father, and ex- 
press our united feelings of grateful love and reverence 
for Him ; we deem them fully in agreement with the 
entire principles, precepts, and practice of Odd-Fellow- 
ship. 

§ 9. Extent of Felloiuship. 

Embracing, as our Order always has done, persons of 
a great variety of religious beliefs, yet their united wis- 
dom, faith, and piety have always found free expression 
in the religious ceremonials and acts of our Lodges 
without involving special fellowship with any parti- 
cular sect or sects. As persistent misrepresentations on 
this point may have created unfounded fears in some 
minds that membership with Odd-Fellows of a different 
faith may entangle them, in some way or other, in a 
fellowship of doctrines or professions which conscience 
disapproves, we will endeavor to render yet more plain 
the precise lines and exact boundaries of our Odd- 
Fellowship. 

Every one knows that in uniting with any literary, 
scientific, benevolent, social, or business organization, 
he does not thereby fellowship its members as believers 
in his creed, nor give indorsement to any of their 
creeds. They may, or may not, be fellow believers with 
him ; but uniting with them in that society does not 
involve his fellowship of them as such. It is the same 
in regard to a union with Odd-Fellows, so far as the 



37^ 



Lodge is a social and benovelent society. But Odd-Fel- 
lowship is based on a religious principle or doctrine — 
the existence of a Supreme Intelligence as the Creator 
and Preserver of the universe, and as the Father of all 
men. This is the utmost extent of a common religious 
sentiment required as a test, or held as a creed by the 
Order. Each individual member may believe as much 
more as he pleases or can ; but this, and no more, is re- 
quired of him as an Odd-Fellow. Now, a Presbyterian 
can fellowship as a Presbyterian only a person who be- 
lieves and obeys the standards of that Church. He may 
fellowship a Methodist or a Baptist as a Christian (be- 
lieving him to be such), but he cannot fellowship him 
as a Presbyterian. In like manner, and to like extent, 
all Christians can fellowship each other as Christians, 
while they fellowship as church members those of their 
own church only. Odd-Fellows being of all denomina- 
tions, and some of them of no denomination, it would 
be absurd to suppose that they, or any of them, would 
require an initiate to give or receive the fellowship of 
the Order as Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran, or any 
other church fellowship, or even as distinctively Chris- 
tian fellowship. Hence we are careful to impress on 
every candidate's mind that we studiously exclude from 
our meetings all that pertains to the sects, parties, dis- 
tinctions of rank, and classifications of society which 
rule in the outside world, and that w T e are to know each 
other only as men — as brothers of the great human 
family. In this recognition is our fellowship. In the 
outer world, each member of a political party regards 
his party ties and party lines and fellowships politically 
those only of his own party. So in the religious world, 
the member of a church fellowships, as fellow church 
members, only those of his own sect; and as Christians 



EXTENT Of FELLOWSHIP. 378 



he fellowships only those whom he recognizes as Chris- 
tians ; or, if an Israelite, he fellowships those only as 
Hebrews whom he believes to be followers of Moses. 
But when he enters a Lodge or an Encampment — 
whether of one party or the other in politics, or of one 
sect or the other in religion — all alike are to him only 
Odd-Fellows, for the time being, and as Odd-Fellows 
only does he extend to each one the warm, right hand 
of his Odd-Fellowship. So, without renouncing our 
citizenships in the nations of the earth, or abating any 
love of kindred and relations in our families, or loosen- 
ing any tie of faith in our creeds, or lessening our devo- 
tion to our respective ch arch interests, we simply agree 
to fellowship as Brother-man every member of the 
human family, and as Brother Odd-Fellows all who go 
with us behind and beyond the bonds of party, of sect, 
and of nationality, in recognizing the great tie which 
makes us one in nature and in interest, and in acting 
upon it in fraternity with us. And to secure the co- 
operation of all who are animated by this fellowship, 
we organize our Lodges and Encampments, and spread 
abroad our Order over states, and continents, and the 
isles of the sea, in humble effort to make our principles 
and their workings as wide-embracing as humanity 
itself. This is the extent of our Odd-Fellowship, and 
this the mission to which it calls us. It cannot conflict 
with any truly religious duty and fellowship ; for it 
embodies in its duties and operations none other than 
those duties which every religion requires of its followers 
toward mankind at large. And while it does this, it 
lays no obstruction, and imposes no interdict, to hinder 
any brother from performing any other duty which he 
may feel to be due to himself, to his family, to his 
country, his church, or to God. 
32 



374 THE ODD- FELLOW'S MANUAL. 



§ 10. Complete as a System. 

Thus has our Order grown up and become in all its 
parts and departments a great social, moral, and hu- 
mane institution, systematic and symmetric in prin- 
ciple, precept, and practice, and therefore efficient in 
operation. As a whole, it is in general agreement with 
nearly all other wise and good institutions, as the fol- 
lowing explanations and comparisons will show. 

When the great Law-giver of Israel established the 
Theocracy, which was to be both the religion and the 
government, or the church and the state, for his pecu- 
liar people, he always held up the principles which he 
revealed as existing in Jehovah, and the doctrines flow- 
ing from those principles, as constituting the reasons 
for their worship and the motives for their obedience. 
The imitation, then, of the imitable perfections of the 
Divine Being was deduced from those doctrines and 
enjoined in those precepts, as their most acceptable 
worship and most perfect service. Thus the principle 
existing in- God became doctrine when revealed to man, 
and precept when enjoined for man's imitation, and 
practice (or duty) when the precept was obeyed or 
fulfilled. "I am holy," was the doctrine; "Be ye also 
holy," the precept following from it. In like manner, 
God's kindness to their fathers while in bondage and 
under oppression, as "strangers and sojourners" in 
that "strange land'' of Egypt, was inscribed in their 
history and their laws, and instamped on their minds 
through all the training and teaching of successive 
generations, and was renewed in their memories at 
every fast and feast and Sabbath worshiping, as 
reasons why they should be compassionate to the 
enslaved and the oppressed, and open their hospitable 



COMPLETE AS A SYSTEM. 375 



shelters and stores to the strangers and sojourners in 
their land. Similar doctrines concerning God and His 
doings are embodied for their practice in the precepts 
enjoining them to be kind to the poor, and to judge the 
widow and the fatherless; for that God is especially the 
Friend of the poor, the Father of the fatherless, and the 
widow's God. And thus Divine principle became re- 
vealed doctrine, and that doctrine became precept for 
human practice throughout the law and the prophets of 
the Old Testament. 

More clearly, if possible, the great Teacher of Chris- 
tendom, and his apostles after him, thus taught human 
duty under the New Covenant. He revealed what 
principles in God impelled Him (as it were) to act 
in creation and providence, and especially in salva- 
tion from sin ; and those revelations constituted the 
doctrines to be believed concerning our Heavenly 
Father. On these he based our duty to copy after and 
imitate these perfections of God, so far as we can, in the 
form of precepts. And the doing of those precepts will 
make our characters like unto God's character, and we 
will thus truly become the children of the Highest. 

Another illustration may be found in the growth and 
organization of our present government of these United 
States. Early during the struggle for independence 
and self-government — long before forming our Federal 
Union and framing our National Constitution — our 
fathers proclaimed the principles or doctrines on which 
the whole structure has since been based; and its citi- 
zens and its constituent States have yielded it support 
and obedience. That all men are created equal ; that 
all are endowed by their Creator with inalienable 
lights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
happiness; that to secure these rights governments are 



376 the 

instituted among men, and that all just governments 
must, therefore, derive their powers from the consent 
of the governed — these doctrines are the only true foun- 
tain of the laws (or precepts) calling for the obedience 
of States and peoples. 

We have, then, to form a perfect system in any or- 
ganization, First — Indwelling, animating Principles, 
revealed as Doctrines, and answering to the Spirit 
which is in man. Second — Precepts deduced from 
those principles or doctrines, pointing out the Duties 
enjoined, and answering to the Soul of man. Tliird — 
The Practice, . constituting the general " walk and 
conversation," or Doings collectively, answering to the 
human physical organism, or Body. In Odd-Fellow- 
ship, as an entirety or totality, all these requisites are 
met and fulfilled. First, it is founded on great prin- 
ciples — the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of 
man — which, being revealed, constitute doctrines for 
faith and guidance. Second, these principles and 
doctrines are embodied in, and taught through, a series 
of charges and lectures as the obligations of the Order, 
and are further explained and illustrated by aid of 
certain expressive signs, tokens, and emblems, thus 
constituting a body of precepts for the guidance of 
members and the Order. Third, the organisms by 
which doctrine is rendered into duty, and precept car- 
ried out in practice, and thus the whole body — the Or- 
der in all its parts — is made living and united in action. 

To make our ideas plainer to the eye, if not to the 
understanding, we put them down in triads, thus : 

1. Principles, Doctrines, Spirit. 

2. Precepts, Duties, Soul. 
•3. Practices, Doings, Body. 



COMPLETE AS A SYSTEM. 377 



This agrees with what St. Paul and other ancient 
philosophers summed up as comprising the entire man 
— " body, soul, and spirit." 

The spirit which God breathed into man when he 
" became a living soul " is the nearest approach we can 
imagine to the Infinitely Great Spirit. The soul, that 
inner form and higher life of man which, only, can ap- 
prehend spirit and bring it within the range of the 
material organs and members, corresponds with the In- 
finite Mind. And the body, like the universe itself, by 
the quickening of the spirit, and the enlightenment of 
the soul, is brought into active subjection to the spirit 
and the soul, and is thus made to render obedient action 
to the Divine Will. 

True; Odd-Fellowship, an institution devised and 
operated only by human agency, is necessarily but a 
limited and imperfect semblance of anything of Divine 
origin and workmanship. But there is a likeness. For 
although it is impossible for the finite to comprehend 
the Infinite, we can apprehend, at least in part, what we 
cannot comprehend. Hence, while we cannot "by 
searching find out God," nor by any effort of our own 
"find out the Almighty unto perfection;" yet can He 
reveal himself unto us. In this limited knowledge we 
conceive of God, that love, benevolence, goodness (call 
it what you will), is the spirit that prompts or moves 
Him to action; that wisdom, knowledge, truth, is the 
spirit to guide and direct that prompting; and that 
power, might, energy, is the spirit whereby He accom- 
plishes what His love prompted and His wisdom de- 
vised. So in Odd-Fellowship, answering somewhat unto 
love or goodness, is the great principle of our inspira- 
tion, where God's paternity and human fraternity are 
the fountain of filial and brotherly affection. This is 
32* 



378 the odd-fellow's manual. 



the spirit that prompts the Order to movement. That 
spirit, as truth or doctrine, informs the mind and directs 
it in devising what love prompts to do. And the or- 
ganized body, embracing each and all the members in 
the Order, is the embodied power and energy of practice 
in accomplishing the results which love prompted and 
truth devised. Our Ritual, including all the forms and 
ceremonials of the Order, embraces these great abstract 
principles in understandable and practicable instruc- 
tions, and makes them more readily assimilable by the 
hearts and minds receiving them. And thus received 
and assimilated, those instructions become the life-tide, 
as it were, that courses through all parts and portions 
of our entire organism ; and the uniting and energizing 
power which binds us all in perfect accord — making the 
entire Order actively operative and effective as a great 
social, moral, and humane Educator of its members, and 
of all over whom they exert influence. 

§ 11. Odd-Fellowship an Educator, 

Every member of the Order is impressively and early 
taught, that if he has entered our ranks from any per- 
sonal or selfish motive — merely to gain any pecuniary 
benefit or gratify curiosity — he has greatly mistaken the 
character and objects of the institution. Even if he has 
entered it because of its benevolent acts toward those 
in suffering and want, he has not looked high enough, 
nor taken a sufficiently expansive view of its purposes 
and aims. Eor it is not a mere beneficial society, having 
for its single (or even greatest and most exalted) pur- 
pose the relief of its members and their families in the 
struggles incident to human life. These, it is true, are 
among its objects ; but they are rather means than ends. 
To visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, 



ODD-FELLOWSHIP AN" EDUCATOK. 379 



and educate the orphan, is commanded by our laws, and 
these deeds are among our imperative duties. But, 
although they are the frequent and almost daily minis- 
trations of Odd-Fellowship, they constitute but a tithe 
of the intrinsic merits of our Order, and are but the 
rounds of that ladder by which it would have its votaries 
rise to yet higher planes of virtue and excellence. Its 
great aims are, to improve and elevate the character of 
man — to imbue him with broader and higher concep- 
tions of his capabilities for good — to enlighten his mind 
— to enlarge the sphere of bis affections — in brief, to 
lead man to the cultivation of his true fraternal rela- 
tions, designed by the Great Author of his being. It is 
thus presented as a great educational institution, in 
which he may be taught and exercised in his social, 
moral, and humane duties, as a member of the Order and 
as a member of the great family of man. 

Being based on our simple humanity, Odd-Fellowship 
receives every member as a human being, and aims to 
develop all that is manly and humane in his nature. 
Passing by the peculiar relations which he may bear to 
family, to church, and to state, and his individual opin- 
ions in philosophy, theology, and politics, it receives and 
regards him wholly as a member of the great human 
race, who acknowledges G-od to be the Creator and 
Moral Governor of the universe, and the Father of all 
.men. It first receives him into the smaller, inner fam- 
ily, the Lodge, as a brother who is to be there instructed, 
educated, and trained in the knowledge, duties, and vir- 
tues peculiarly required by the greater family, tho 
Order; and as a preparation for, and introduction to, 
those similar but more extended duties and obligations 
which he owes to the great family of man. Considering 
him in this light of pupil and ward, it makes certain 



380 the odd-fellow's manual. 



requisitions, and lays certain obligations on him, and 
imparts to him peculiar instructions, and exercises him 
in specific duties, that it may thus accomplish the great 
purpose and aim of its mission to, and in, and by him. 

For instance, it requires a certain development of his 
manhood — physical, intellectual, social, and moral — that 
he may be a suitable, capable, and willing subject of its 
instructions and labors. He must also have attained, 
and not exceeded, a proper age. If too young, he would 
lack vigor, endurance, and experience. If too old, he 
would be wanting in docility, energy, and ability to 
profit, and so to become useful. He must, likewise, be 
in general good health, and have such use of his mental 
and bodily faculties as will justly entitle him to reci- 
procity of aid and support, and qualify him for his fair 
share of labor in the field of general benevolence. He 
must be in such employment or worldly circumstances 
as will probably enable him to provide a living for him- 
self and family, and enable him to contribute his proper 
proportion to the funds of the Order. He must pos- 
sess a good moral and social character, and bear such a 
reputation in community as will probably make him 
a desirable companion in labor, a ready recipient of the 
Order's instructions, and a credit to the Fraternity. 
And he must have sufficient faith in God to realize that 
He is the Moral Governor of the universe, and the 
Father of human kind, that through such faith he may 
feel the responsibility of his obligations, and have the 
necessary zeal to labor and to endure in our great and 
good cause. Such are our principal requisitions, and 
the reasons on which they rest. 

In accordance with these requisitions, are the obliga- 
tions which-Odd Fellowship requires each member to 
assume. A.s he asks to be trusted and confided in, he 



ORGANIZATION" NEEDED. 381 



must prove himself to be trustworthy. As he is to re- 
ceive aid and support when needed, he is obligated to give 
them in return. And in like truly fraternal and honor- 
able reciprocity, he is obligated to perform all his duties 
as a brother, in all offices of mutual aid and relief, in all 
our mutual instructions by precept and example, and 
in all our mutual exercises of watch-care and discipline, 
whether in our assemblies or in our intercourse with 
the world at large. And these obligations he is expect- 
ed to discharge, without neglecting any other duties 
which he may owe to himself or to others — to his coun- 
try or his God. 

§ 12. Organization Needed, 

Without the binding force of some such requisitions 
and obligations, there could be no organization, no 
government, no regular and reliable means and re- 
sources for well-doing, and no certain and systematic 
provision for aid and relief. In this material world, an 
organized body is indispensable for the operations of a 
human spirit and soul. And an embodiment or organ- 
ism for the effective application of principles and pre- 
cepts, is just as necessary. Steam, in open space, be- 
comes mere vapor, and is dissipated in air, or condensed 
into drops of water. If shut up in a boiler, without 
machinery on which to act, it either becomes inert by 
cooling down, or injuriously bursts its prison, or escapes 
in uselessness. So doctrines and precepts, however 
true and good, must not only be systematized so as to 
be readily understood, but must also be embodied in 
some person, or some organization of persons, before 
they can be reduced to practice and bear proper fruits. 

It was thus with the principles which constitute our 
Odd-Fellowship. The great doctrines of the Divine Fa- 



382 ran odd-fellow's manual. 



fcherhood and human fraternity, and the resulting pre- 
cepts of corresponding obligations and duties, needed a 
new and different embodiment or organization, to eluci- 
date them more beneficially, and carry them out farther 
into much-needed practice, and thus make them more 
widely and generally effective. There were churches, it 
is true, which held the doctrines and enforced the pre- 
cepts, on and for their own members, to a certain extent. 
But as a majority of those who most needed their appli- 
cation were outside of the churches, or could not be 
reached by them, other associations and measures be- 
came necessary. Accordingly, as we have seen, societies 
were organized in Europe to meet these wants. But 
in these United States, prior to 1819, there were no 
such organizations (aside from the Masonic, which did 
not clearly enunciate the doctrines, nor fully supply the 
want) — or if there were, they were too restricted or in- 
efficient to meet the increasing necessity. Odd-Fellow- 
ship, of which a branch had just then been transplanted 
from England, seemed to be demanded for this office ; 
for, reasoning by " the logic of events," it shortly throve 
apace, and soon grew strong enough to go alone, to en- 
large and improve its mission, and to work out its sep- 
arate destiny in this new field of human want and be- 
nevolent labor. 

Of course, improvements in the teachings, and prog- 
ress in the workings of the Order, have been gradual, 
and were attained through the increased enlightenment 
of the minds, and elevation of the moral standards, of 
the members successively admitted. Each instructed 
class, as it were, improved the lessons taught and the 
practices enforced, one step or grade beyond their prede- 
cessors. And to these successive advances they were 
steadily pointed and urged by a few among the earliest 



USES OF SECRECY 1ST TEACHIKG. 383 



members ; who, like our veteran and venerable Grand 
Corresponding and Recording Secretary, James L. 
Ridgely, saw from the beginning the immense moral 
capabilities of the Order to improve and elevate the 
character of its membership. Under the unceasing 
efforts and influences of Brother Ridgely and his noble 
associates, its educational capacities were enlarged and 
increased, and kept steadily employed in the pathway of 
onward and upward progress. 

§ 13. Uses of Secrecy in Teaching. 

The lessons taught at initiation and in conferring de- 
grees, in charges of various kinds, by signs, emblems, 
and the meanings of regalia and decorations of Lodge 
and Encampment rooms, and by significant ceremonies 
in opening and closing, constitute, as a whole, the prin- 
cipal secrets of the Order. * 

All these enter into and constitute the instruction of 

* The other secrets belong, rather, to individuals and families : 
but are confided to the sacred keeping of the Order — as, applica- 
tions for membership, of aid and relief of members and their 
families, of special charities in and out of the Order, and of the 
discipline of members. These secrets of individuals and of fami. 
lies, should be held equally sacred with those of the Order. And 
of both, so long as they do not improperly conflict with or injure 
the rights of others, no one has any moral or social right to in- 
quire into them, much less betray or expose them — no more than 
he has to steal the money or other property of the Order, or of 
individuals. And all who thus aid or countenance any surrepti- 
tious procuring and publishing of secrets, which are neither the 
purloiner's nor the public's, are guilty of dissocially corrupting 
strict moral honesty at its fountain — of familiarizing the com- 
munity with stealing mental and moral possessions, only to make 
them worthless to all ; while they especially deprive those de- 
pendent on these secrets of the immense benefits which this 
" deed without a name " intercepts and destroys. 



384 the odd-fellow's manual. 



brethren and sisters, and are so conducted and commu* 
nicated as to produce the most solemn and salutary im- 
pressions on the mind and heart. They are also fre- 
quently (as much as possible, continually) impressed 
upon the memory, so that all that the member sees and 
hears in Lodge and Encampment, shall remind him of 
duty and obligation, and stimulate him to improve- 
ment and progress. 

The substance of these teachings — every idea they con- 
vey — we do not hesitate to declare openly to the world, 
in our periodicals and public addresses. But the pe- 
culiar language in which our Ritual clothes them, the 
manner in which they are unfolded, the uses of regalia, 
emblems, etc., by which the lessons are illustrated and 
enforced for remembrance and practice, these are secrets. 
Our singular ceremonies, illustrations, and scenic repre- 
sentations render these solemn truths more impressive 
than any mere declamation could do — sink them deeper 
into the soul, there to become the inner springs and 
motive powers of life. We know that truths thus de- 
livered and unfolded, are made more interesting, more 
lasting, than if calmly read from a book in any ordinary 
assembly. Calm, intelligent members who have wit- 
nessed many initiations, strive to attend each new ini- 
tiation, and, delighted by the appropriate ceremonies, 
they will listen attentively, for the twentieth or fiftieth 
time, to the same lectures and charges thus delivered, and 
will speak enthusiastically of the ennobling sentiments 
so taught, when they would hardly go a second time to 
any ordinary gathering, to hear that same Ritual recited 
by the best reader in the land! Why ? The reason is 
plain. Because the jewel would be without the enhance- 
ment of its peculiarly appropriate setting — the picture, 
without its choice frame and position in light to exhibit 



USES OF SECRECY IN - TEACHING. 385 



its eminent beauty — the story, or the song, without its 
accessory illustrations and inspiriting accompaniments. 
The same is true of our peculiar modes of transacting 
business and conducting social intercourse ; but not in 
so great a degree. They must be appropriate, or they 
would not interest. And they must be properly used, 
or they would repel in disgust, instead of attracting the 
brethren, and especially the most moral and religious 
portion. For our secrecy is not in the doctrines and 
precepts thus taught. These are inculcated in numer- 
ous forms and ways, by pulpit and by press, in lecture- 
rooms and private parlors. The secrecy is wholly in 
the peculiar forms and accompanying illustrations ; and 
the investing charm of our Order is found, greatly, in 
its privacy — in the secrecy with which our rites are sur- 
rounded, and kept from the gaze of the uninitiated. 
For it is a fact that human nature, even in its best 
earthly estate, loves mystery. It is sought and practiced 
by child and adult, male and female, saint and sinner; 
by some more than by others, and frequently most by 
those loudest in condemning it. If phrenology be cor- 
rect, there is a special organ for its exercise; and 
whether it has an organ or not, the love and practice of 
mystery is one of the propensities or faculties of our 
nature, and has its uses and abuses like all others; and 
those uses are beneficial, as the abuses are evil and in- 
jurious. And to this secretiveness or love of mystery, 
the privacy of our rites and ceremonials, and our secret 
emblematic and scenic instructions, power fully appeal 
for good, and for good only. And they meet a strong 
and enduring response, in nearly (if not quite) every 
case, for good also. The secrecy in which we hold our 
rites has great utility also, not only in impressing 
our lessons on the minds of members, and attracting 
33 Z 



386 the odd-fellow's manual. 



them to our meetings, and inciting them to the more 
faithful performance of their duties as men and as Odd- 
Fellows ; but, also, by attracting to our Lodges those 
who are without our pale, and thus steadily increasing 
the number of our fellow-laborers in the great field of 
human benefaction. 

§ 14. Divine Secret Teachings. 

Not only is there no wrong nor even cause for sus- 
picion of evil in this secrecy, but there is in it a grand 
accordance with the works and ways of our heavenly 
Father Himself, in His teachings in creation and provi- 
dence, as He gradually unfolds and reveals them to our 
race. Not only in God's immediate or direct providen- 
ces, but in our human agency as part of His general 
providence, nearly every great lesson begins in profound 
secrecy. Let all who consider secrecy to be evil in itself 
consider this great problem. No text in the Bible con- 
demns secrecy in itself considered, or regards it alone as 
proof of evil intent or action. Not one. On the con- 
trary, the whole plan of human redemption, the Gospel 
and its purposed salvation, is spoken of as a " mystery 
(secret) hid from the ages/' and revealed only " in these 
last days." We are also informed that " secret things 
belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are 
revealed belong to us and to our children forever." 
Howbeit, those revealed things were once secrets, and 
even some things now " revealed unto babes," are yet 
" hidden from the wise and prudent." Says the Book, 
without which, in the Lodge, no Lodge-meeting can be 
held: "In the beginning the earth was without form 
(chaotic) and void (empty), and darkness w T as upon the 
face of the deep." In that silence and under that dark- 
ness was secrecy which no eye saw, no ear heard, no 



DIVINE SECRET TEACHINGS. 387 



mind apprehended, save the Omniscient. In the silence 
and secrecy of that emptiness, God's creative and reveal- 
ing Spirit brooded on the face of the waters until the 
first-born of creation came forth at the omnific word, 
"Let there be light!" Until then there could be no 
revelation of the material things or processes of this 
world. And the mode followed in this " beginning" has 
been generally pursued in all the succeeding ways and 
workings of God unto the present time. The keenest 
pryings of human curiosity have not been able to expose 
the hidden powers imparted to nature in its varied pro- 
ductions. " Science, falsely so called," may boast that it 
has tracked to their primal beginnings the plant, the 
insect, and the animal, and that it has laid bare the ori- 
gin of their creation. But the microscopic cell or the 
animalculine jelly-particle would always have remained 
a cell or a particle had there not been back of it, or 
within it, a hidden mysterious power with secret process, 
a hidden wisdom with secret skill, a hidden goodness 
secretly to furnish nutriment, secretly to increase its 
form and push it forth in growth, secretly to fashion it 
in beauty, secretly to balance its parts and faculties in 
symmetry, and secretly to direct and conduct it to its 
destined end. These no human search can find, no 
human science know — they are secrets. And in such 
wise and beneficent secrecy does our Heavenly Father 
begin all His creations and productions in nature. And 
all along His course, in all stages of growth and pro- 
gress, He maintains the same secrecy, the how being 
concealed, and the result, only, revealed. And this 
divine secrecy of devising and doing is perpetuated and 
renewed in the birth of every animated being and in the 
production of every vegetable germ. 
The same secrecy is found in the divine teachings as 



388 the odd-fellow's manual. 



to the growth oi races and nations, and the rise and 
establishment of their governments and institutions. 
The real beginnings are secret, hidden from even the 
human minds used as agents, in whom He worked " to 
will and to do of His good pleasure." They may know 
when they were first conscious of feeling and thinking, 
but can hardly imagine when and how God began 
within them to awaken them to plan and to perform. 
All such beginnings are secret, perhaps hidden away 
back among the omnific springs of divine creation, in 
that "beginning" when time itself began. Nor are 
these the only secret instructions of God. All along 
the pathways of the growth and progress of nations, dis- 
pensations, and institutions, secret influences come flow- 
ing in, mysterious impulses feed human energies, has- 
tening them onward and increasing their power and 
operations, until the human agents learn that God's will 
has been done in and by them. The histories of the 
Patriarchal dispensation, beginning with the call of 
Abraham — of the Mosaic dispensation, full of yet unre- 
vealed mysteries — of Christianity, with its wonderful 
transformings going on all around us — all are evidences 
of the secret influences by which God teaches the gen- 
erations of men. 

Turning from Divine to human providences, as such, 
we find that our Heavenly Father has made similar 
secret beginnings necessary to human advancement. 
Nearly every new invention, and system, and institution 
originated in the silence and secrecy of thought, and 
was developed and matured in secret meditation, and 
frequently was put into experimental operation in some 
retreat secret from the busy world. Thus, Benjamin 
Franklin, accompanied only by a lad, stole out of Phila- 
delphia on June 15, 1752, to meet an approaching 



TEACHING BY PKACTICE. 389 



thunderstorm; and, at what is now the corner of But- 
ton wood street and Ridge Avenue, he secretly performed 
his great experiment of drawing lightning from the 
clouds by means of a kite — thus demonstrating light- 
ning and electricity to be the same. The world now 
benefits by that secret experiment, improved upon by 
Dr. Priestly and Professors Henry, Morse, and others. 
Many secret councils were held by Protestant Reformers, 
and also by our Revolutionary heroes and sages, in 
devising their plans of reform and revolution. With- 
out such secrecy in planning and executing, it is hardly 
possible they could have succeeded. 

But, it may be said, many of these mysteries and 
secrets have been made known, and many others will be 
revealed. True ; but it was only when the purposes of 
secrecy had been gained, and men been prepared to 
profit by the revelation. Even so, reverently speaking, 
is it in Odd-Fellowship. Its principles, its precepts, its 
modes of relief, its legislation and proceedings generally 
—all these are freely made known for the information 
of the world. But the peculiar process by which our 
members were indoctrinated so impressively, and the 
means of recognition, by which we are enabled to know 
each other and to work together so effectively, these 
may not yet be published. They are most useful and 
beneficial as secrets. When the world at large is pre- 
pared to receive and profit by these— and not sooner — 
we hope that all members of all churches and associa- 
tions will become Odd-Fellows. 

§ 15. Teaching ~by Practice. 

But as teaching by example is more effective than 
teaching by precept, and as training has a greater form- 
ative power on character than mere inculcation, Odd- 
33* 



390 TH " E odd-fellow's manual. 



Fellowship requires its members to exercise themselves 
in the personal performance of the duties it enjoins. 

Seneca and other ancient philosophers taught excel- 
lent morals and systems of philosophy for the guidance 
of their followers ; but no church or similar organiza- 
tion was ever based on their teachings; no pupils and 
believers were ever united into a band, continuing 
through successive generations, bound not only to teach, 
but to do their precepts. They failed to add example to 
precept — to illustrate by their lives the instructions 
they furnished, and to require doing as well as believ- 
ing — practicing as well as professing. Consequently, 
their systems are preserved only in books, while other 
systems, deemed less wise and less noble by their refined 
and cultured countrymen, are yet widely living in the 
hearts and lives of millions. So Odd-Fellowship has 
not merely a name, but a life. It is living and actual 
in deeds which accord with its teachings ; for it requires 
of every member self-control and self- direction — subju- 
gation of passion and appetite to reason and the moral 
powers — self-abnegation and self-sacrifice for the good 
of others — deeds of mutual aid and effort in seasons of 
distress and danger — acts of benuficence to the poor, 
the sorrowing, and the suffering — charity in feeling, 
word, and deed to all who need it, as well as all who 
deserve it, without regard to nation, party, or sect — and 
kindly forbearance and toleration in all those beliefs 
and opinions wherein men cannot (or think they can- 
not) agree, as well as hearty co- working in all good 
wherein men are agreed. These are some of the exer- 
cises by which members are trained into a fuller devel- 
opment of their manhood, their humanity, their fra- 
ternity in "Friendship, Love, and Truth/' and their 
childlike and exalted "Trust in Grod." And all our 



TEACHING BY PRACTICE. 391 



business and debates in lodge and encampment meet- 
ings ; all committee work, watching with the sick, 
visiting bereaved families, and dispensing aid abroad; 
all labors to reconcile the differing and restore the 
alienated or the fallen, and even our social recreations 
and public ceremonials, have their influences in this 
onward and upward direction. And this training — 
these exercises in our precepts — are not designed to be 
limited or restricted to the Lodge or the Order. That 
is only its primary school, and this its mere field of 
apprenticeship. These deeds of duty and exercises in 
the development of human character are to begin in 
the Lodge and Encampment, and to extend throughout 
the Order, and to end only when there is no more dis- 
tress to relieve, no sorrow to assuage. For our guiding 
faith is, not only that all Odd-Fellows are our brethren, 
but that all mankind are brothers ; for our Ood and 
Creator is the Father of all. Odd-Fellowship, therefore, 
directs, not that we exercise ourselves in relieving dis- 
tressed Odd-Fellows only, and in visiting and watch- 
ing with sick Odd-Fellows only, and in burying the de- 
ceased of our Order only, and in educating the orphans 
and aiding the widows of Odd-Fellows only; but the 
teachings of our ritual extend these duties away out — 
out — to the utmost extent of our ability and influence. 
The Lodge or Encampment is only a small family 
within the larger family of the Order; as the Order 
itself is only a large family within the still larger 
human family. Nor are we to so expand our sympa- 
thies to the circumference as to forget or neglect its 
most important center. The instructions and training 
of the Lodge are also designed favorably to develop the 
home affections. No man or woman can be really good 
who is not good at home as well as abroad. 80 the 



392 the odd-fellow's manual. 



Odd-Fellow must carry all his principles and precepts 
to govern and guide him in bis duties to his family and to 
his neighborhood. And this he will do if our teachings 
and trainings have their proper effect on his character ; 
for it is impossible that these humane duties can be truly 
engaged in and rightly performed without making him 
better in every relation in life — a better man, and 
citizen, and religionist — a better brother, son or parent, 
and husband — a better friend and neighbor. Imbued 
and governed by its principles, he cannot but reverence 
God, respect himself, and love mankind. 

§ 16. Progressive Character. 

The entire history of American Odd-Fellowship 
proves it eminently progressive in character. Though 
the form in which it reached these shores greatly shaped 
its aftergrowth, and fixed upon it its peculiar name, the 
titles of officers, etc., yet its founders were not blindly 
conservative nor hopelessly wedded to precedents. In- 
deed, divine Providence seems to have early constrained 
them to sever connections with the parent Order, and 
adapt the new institution to the genius of our govern- 
ment and the wants of our people. The high moral 
position taken by the G. L. XL S. in 1825 (high and 
strange, as compared with the social usages of that day), 
in banishing all refreshments, save water, from Lodge 
meetings, was but a presage of its future course. It was 
followed by the interdict of meetings on Sundays to 
deliver degree lectures — a custom derived from Eng- 
land, which not only brought much odium on the Order, 
but caused divisions and strifes in families, on account 
of religious feelings and church attendance. The with- 
drawal from the Manchester Unity released us from any 
further responsibility for these and similar usages. A 



PROGRESSIVE CHARACTER. 393 

complete and unobjectionable ritual followed; and, in 
due time, all lotteries, gift enterprises, etc., in the 
name or aid of the Order, were forbidden ; and the 
interdict of intoxicants was extended to exclude them 
from all balls, festivals, etc., where the Order had con- 
trol. 

Increasing love of learning also became manifest in 
the establishment of libraries and reading-rooms in 
cities and large towns, where halls of the Order fur- 
nished facilities. Schools, homes for orphans, and 
asylums for widows and decrepit brethren, are in course 
of erection and establishment, and others are projected. 
And numerous mutual aid societies have arisen spon- 
taneously, to furnish more liberal pecuniary aid to 
bereaved families. 

But probably the greatest progressive movement yet 
made by our Order has been the admission of women, 
as Daughters of Eebekah, and the institution of 
Eebekah Degree Lodges, where their labors and in- 
fluence can be brought directly in aid of our benevo- 
lent efforts. The measure is yet in its infancy ; its full 
extension has hardly been reached, nor its connection 
been denned, nor its modes and operations fully devised ; 
but it is launched beyond recall on the tide of experi- 
ment, and must ere long find its course and bearings, 
and result in success. 

All these improvements in devising and operating 
show the progressive character of our institution, not 
only in the increase of its members and resources, and 
its extension to Australasia, Germany, Switzerland, and 
South America, but in the improvement of its teachings, 
its educational methods, and the increase in its ways 
and means for well-doing. It thus gives assurance 
that its progress will continue, so long as the same 



394 the odd-fellow's manual. 



principles inspire and the same noble aims incite its 
labors. For no merely human institution in the land 
(if in the world) has grown more, or faster, in conform- 
ing its life and outward features to its inward principles, 
than has the great and increasing body of Odd-Fellows. 
No one of them all has more effectually crystallized 
its divine precepts into visible and palpable evidences 
that the inward spirit has been obeyed in the outward 
practice. 

But not only has Odd-Fellowship wrought within 
its own borders, but it has generated and warmed into 
being most, if not all, of the numerous societies and 
orders that are now lessening the ills of their members, 
by systems of mutual aid and relief. Our example and 
our successes have started them to action, and our prin- 
ciples, system, and government have been largely 
copied, but seldom improved upon, by them. And 
when Masonry in many Northern States wilted and 
shriveled before the fierce storm which raged against 
"secret societies," the deeds of Odd-Fellowship first 
rose above the rolling mists and clouds, and gradually 
hushed the tumult, and permitted time and space to 
recover from the indiscriminating condemnation of 
political and religious intolerance. And not only in 
this land has its influence been felt, but abroad it is 
absorbing other Orders, by the superior excellence of 
its ritual and purity of its morals; by virtue of which, 
also, it is now creating a desire among several Orders 
in Britain to conform their practices in Lodge meetings 
to our improved standard. We are thus led to hope for 
the removal of everything which now divides Odd-Fel- 
lows elsewhere, and especially of all practices which 
impair their morals or efficiency. 



BEYOND THE ORDER. 895 



§ 17. Beyond the Order. 
In addition to the large sums expended yearly for 
relief, and the amounts accumulated for future use, 
we again remind the reader that 

" What's done we partly may compute, 
But know not what's" prevented. 

Under our wise and humane system of relief before 
utter want, what we prevent is far greater than what 
we cure. 

We also ask consideration, in that our benefits to 
our Fraternity are also benefits to the community 
at large. The meandering brook waters not only 
the banks on each side, which are in immediate 
contact. The margin is connected with the wide 
field beyond, and the drops taken up by the banks 
are passed, by absorption and reabsorption, from 
particle to particle, till a wide-spread green shows 
that the beneficent supply has extended far from the 
gurgling stream. And the evening dews and the 
morning mists, rising from the bed of the brook, 
float far away, over meadows and fields on each side, 
imparting refreshing and verdure as from on high. 

So with our benefactions. Members saved from 
want are not only kept from being burdens on the 
public, but are thereby enabled to give aid and sup- 
port to kindred and to neighbors, far and wide 
around them. Not only so, but aided thus, many 
acquire substance, and become contributors in taxes 
and revenues to the public funds, to the correspond- 
ing relief of other tax-payers. It is the same with 
our educational benefits. Whatever improvement 
our Order can effect in the mental ability, the social 



396 THE odd-fellow's manual. 



disposition, the moral character of a member; just 
so far has our secret instruction and training added 
to the character, and social and moral worth of the 
family, the church, and the community, to which he 
belongs as well as to us. 

This general mutual dependence of each on all, 
and all on each — this interlacing of sympathies that 
wind around all hearts, and moral interests that 
weave into one web our entire humanity — needs 
more consideration by the world outside our Order. 
Odd-Fellowship, when it shall have united itsfellow- 
. workers, and brought into its fold more of the hu- 
mane and benevolent still outside of its ranks, may 
yet add to its triumphs, that it has fully unfolded 
this science of human dependence and inter-depen- 
dence, and brought the world to see, to feel, and to 
do duties which the Fatherhood of God and the 
Brotherhood of man requires of every mind, and 
heart, and hand. Then will it be fully realized that 
the entire race is as the individual, where, " whether 
one member suffer, all the members suffer with it ; 
or one member be honored, all the members rejoice 
with it." Then — then, indeed, will have arrived that 
period when the chain of human bondage shall be 
broken, and the tears and woes of this world be sub- 
merged by the healing tide that shall flow from the 
fountain of benevolence and peace. Then one law 
shall bind all nations, and that law will be the law 
of Universal Brotherhood. 



APPENDIX A. 



flings unit dDbs. 



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THE ODD-FELLOWS MANUAL. 



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APPENDIX A. — SONGS AND ODES. 



399 



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402 THE ODD-FELLOW S MANUAL. 



DEDICATION ODE. 

BY REV. A. C. THOMAS. 

Am — " Bannockburn." 

Trickling far among the hills, 
Tinkling in the cheerful rills, 
Flowing till the sea it fills — 

Water, evermore! 
Friendship — void of worldly art, 
Baptism of the faithful heart, — 
To our souls thy grace impart — 

Blessed evermore ! 

Bursting in the early Spring, 
Beauty to the earth to bring 
Fragrance all abroad to fling — 

Flowers forevermore. 
Love — that in the blossom glows, 
Breathing in each wind that blows, 
Ours be lily* and the rose,f 

Blessed evermore! 

Buried 'neath the wintry sheen, 
Springing, clothed in living green, 
Golden in the harvest-scene, 

Wheat forevermore! 
Truth — of heaven's own glory born, 
'Reft of thee, how sad, forlorn ! — 
Welcome waving, vital corn, 

Truth forevermore! 

Thus in Water, Flowers, and Wheat, 
Friendship, Love, and Truth repeat. 
All the virtues here we greet, 

Banded evermore : 
Y"et in Charity shall men 
Sound the noblest praise again, 
Ana the angels shout Amen, 

Blessed evermore. 

Purity. t Affection 



APPENDIX A. — SONGS AND ODES. 403 



ODE. — LAYING A CORNER-STONE. 7s. M 

BY MRS. FIDELIA W. GILLETT. 

Gather'd now, from far and near, 

On this sacred spot we stand, 
Bound by everlasting Truth, 

Heart to heart, and hand to hand, 
Lay we here this Corner-stone 

Of a Temple yet to be, 
In the spirit of that Love 

That, our God, binds all to Thee. 

May we build, as we have laid, 

Fair, and strong, and firm, and sure — 
Stone on stone, and arch on arch — 

Wildest storms 't will then endure; 
Like the Temple Friendship rears 

In each faithful brother's heart, 
Where the needy and the poor 

Have a shelter and a part. 

LAYING A CORNER-STONE. C. M. 

BY REV. D. K. LEE, D. D 

Lord, we praise Thee for Thy grace, 

And thank Thee for Thy love, 
And pray the glory of Thy face 

May shine down from above ! 

In Friendship, Love, and Truth, we join, 

A band of brothers here, 
For works we pray Thou 'It make divine, 

And bless through many a year. 

This Corner-stone our weak hands lay 

A Temple here to build; 
And may it rise complete, we pray, 

And with Thy light be filled. 

[We pour libations on this stone, 

And may Thy dews descend! 
These Flowers are strewn our love to own, 

This Wheat for Truth we lend.] 

May Friendship bright our Temple grace, 

And Love its fountain bo, 
And Truth spring up, and crown the place, 

With honors all from Thee. 



404 the odd-fellow's manual. 



ODE AT LAYING A CORNER-STONE. 

Deep in the quarries of the stone, 

Amid vast heaps of other rock; 
In darkness hid, to art unknown. 

We found this rude and shapeless block, 
Now shaped by art, its roughness gone, 

And fit this noble work to grace, 
We lay it here, a corner-stone, 

Chosen and sure, in proper place. 

Within this stone there lies conceal'd 

What future ages may disclose, 
The sacred truths to us reveal'd 

By Him who fell by ruthless foes. 
On Him, this corner-stone we build, 

To Him, this edifice erect; 
And still, until this work's fulfilled, 

May Heaven the workman's ways direct. 



DEDICATION OF A CEMETERY. L. M. 

BY A. B. GROSH. 

Our Father, from on high look clown. 

And sanctify Thine "Acre" here; 
Bid guardian angels flock around, 

And spirit-brethren, too, draw near! 

Here may our unforgotten dead 

Repose in sleep Thy love has given,* 

And mourning groups be comforted, 
Submissive to the will of Heaven. 

May nature's sighs, at Thy command, 

Here spread the bloom of Hope and Love; 

And evergreens, like Faith's own hand, 
Point fond affection's eyes above — 

Above the frequent darkling tears 
That dim our mortal eyes on earth, 

To where Thy promise-bow appears, 
Bright presage of a higher-birth. 

"For so He giveth His beloved sleep." — Psalm cxxvii. 2. 



APPENDIX A. — SONGS ANT) ODES. 405 



FUNERAL ODE. 

BY REV. A. C. THOMAS. 

Air — Zeuner's '■'Missionary Chant." 

In earth's cold heart, unsealed afresh, 
We lay our brother low and lone; 

And what he was, while veiled in flesh, 
Shall yet be told in sculptured stone. 

Told it has been, and long shall be 
Within our Temple's mystic walls; 

For Friendship, Love, and Truth decree 
His Legend in our honored Halls. 

The hour shall pass, baptized in woe, 
Which now lifts up its mournful cry, 

And joy shall come with memory's glow 
Of one whose record is on high. 

Then hail — all hail, redeemed from dust 
The soul that now on earth is dumb, 

And welcome, while "in God we trust," 
The rapture of the life to come! 

REBEKAH AT THE WELL. 

BY REV. A. C. THOMAS. 

Air — " Of a' the airts the wind can blaw." * 

The sick and lone, the sore distressed, 

The dying, clad in gloom, — 
The weary, whose appointed rest, 

Seems only in the tomb, 
Have heard a voice of thrilling tone 

With feelings none may tell, 
And hope and help have sweetly shown 

Rebekah at the Well. 

Not in a cistern, in whose hush 

No type of health we know, 
But in a Fount, whose waters gush 

From living depths below, 

* Or any other suitable air of S ;md 6s. Metre 



406 THE ODD-FELLOW^S MANUAL. 



She fills her pitchers, made of clay. 

Transformed to crystal bowls, 
And brings refreshing draughts away 

For sinking, fainting souls. 

With spirit born of Heaven above 

And open face unveiled, 
fler ministry of patient love 

Shall everywhere be hailed; 
And battle-chiefs the knee shall bow, 

Nor longer scoff nor frown, 
When viewing on her pitying brow 

The radiant Cross and Crown. 

In nightly-watch and orphan-^ward 

She writes her blessed creed; 
The shroud and coffin oft record 

Her sympathetic deed : — 
And victor-palm and snow-white robe 

Her triumph yet shall swell, 
And celebrate, o'er all the globe, 

Rebekah at the Well. 



DEGREE OF KEBEKAH. P. M. 

BY REV. D. K. LEE, D. D, 

"Man is the glory of the Lord, 

And Woman is man's glory" — 
Said one who spoke the heavenly word. 

And told a heavenly story. 
The glory of His glory, then — 

Most holy while most human — 
The crowning light of God and men, 

The fairest life, is Woman. 

Woman is Heaven's warm heart below. 

This glory we accord her ; 
To her with honors bright shall go 

The welcomes of our Order. 
While Woman found a bolted door 

At Athens, Rome, and Mecca, 
Our Temple gates unbar before 

The Daughters of Rebekah 



APPENDIX A. — SONGS AND ODES. 407 



Their smiles shall make our darkness bright, 

Iheir virtues shall defend us 
When evils lie in wait to smite, 

And sinful powers to rend us. 
Our Lodge, around, their hearts shall hold, 

And ring their cheers and chidings. 
As Aaron's robe with bells of gold 

Rang out the heavenly tidings. 

Their prayers shall bring sweet blessings down: 

Their hymns sound our thanksgiving ; 
Their hands our works of mercy crown, 

Their lives exalt our living. 
God, bless woman with Thy love — 

With fairest honors deck her, 
And clothe with beauty from above 

The Daughters of Rebekah ! 



SONG.— THE RAINBOW. 

BY MRS. S. J. HALE. 

beautiful Rainbow, all woven with light, 
There's not in thy tissue one shadow of night! 

It seems as heaven open'd when thou dost appear, 
As if a light vision of angels drew near, 
And sung — "The Rainbow! The Rainbow! 
God's smile is here! " 

1 think, as I'm gazing thy colors to mark, 
How, over the mountain, where rested the Ark, 
Those saved from the deluge, with wond'ring eye, 
Beheld the first Rainbow burst over the sky — 

And sung — "The Rainbow," &c. 

And thousands of ages have flourish'd and fled, 
Since on the first Rainbow God's promise was read: 
Man dies, and earth changes; but still doth endure 
That signet of mercy, fresh, lovely, and pure. 
Thf>n sing — "The Rainbow,"' &c. 



408 the odd-fellow's manual 



FUNERAL ODE. 

BY REV. BE. J. G. FOEMAK 

Air — PleyeVs Hymn. 

Brother, to thy grave we come — 
Portal of thy heavenly home — 
Hearts, with silent grief opprest, 
Bear thee to thy place of rest. 

Voices sighing through the trees, 
Wafted on the passing breeze, 
Tell us all that life is brief, 
Fading like the autumn leaf. 

Though in the Grand Lodge above. 
We remember thee in love; 
Yet our Lodge has lost thee here- 
'T is for this we shed the tear. 

In the earth we lay thee low, 
Yet upon thy grave shall grow 
Evergreens, like these we bring, 
As our last, sad offering. 

FUNERAL HYMN. L. M. 

BY REV. D. K. LEE, D. D. 

0, Brothers, travelling hand in hand! 

On life's long road again we pause, 
And here in grief and mourning stand, 

As one more from our ranks withdraws. 

With us he shared the pains and joys 
That rise along our pleasant way — 

The labor which our strength employs — 
The toil and guerdon of the day 

And now he quits our weary train 

And marches o'er the heavenly heights 

But we shall walk with him again, 
And share his rest and his delights. 

God, comfort us — our brothers bless, 
While this dear friend Thy love receives 

Raise the sad mourner from distress, 
And gladden every heart that grieves. 



*, 



APPENDIX A. — SONGS AND ODES. 409 



DISMISSION. 

For the close of Social or Public Occasions. 

BY A. B. GROSH. 

Air — " Good night and joy be wi' ye a'." 

" Depart in peace ! " ye favor'd few, 

For nigLt now calls us to repose: 
In pleasant dreams may you renew 

The joys that have our evening closed. 
May Friendship's visions round you press, 

And Love's, more tender, warm each heart, 
To make refreshing, sweet, your rest — 

" Depart in peace ! " dear friends, depart ! 

"Depart in peace ? " for knowledge here 

Has shed abroad her radiant light, 
The heart to warm — the mind to cheer, 

Through slumbers of the peaceful night. 
And when to-morrow's sun shall rise, 

Oh, be that Truth to practice given, 
Till life shall end — then hear the voice, 

"Depart in peace, from earth to heaven! " 

FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, AND TRUTH. 

BY JAMES MONTGOMERY. 
[N. B. — This is the earliest Odd-Fellow's Song known as such.] 

When Friendship, Love, and Truth abound, 

Among a band of brothers, 
The cup of joy goes gayly round, 

Each shares the bliss of others: 
Sweet roses grace the thorny way 

Along this vale of sorrow; 
The flowers that shed their leaves to-day 

Shall bloom again to-morrow. 

How grand in age, how fair in youth, 
Are holy Friendship, Love, and Truth I 

On halcyon wings our moments pass, 

Life's cruel cares beguiling; 
Old Time lays down his scythe and glass, 
In gay good-humor smiling; 
35 



410 THE ODD-FELLOW'S MANUAL: 



With ermine beard and forelock gray. 

His revei^end front adorning, 
He looks like Winter turned to May, 

Night softening into Morning. 
How grand in age, &c. 

From these delightful fountains flow 

Ambrosial rills of pleasure ; 
Can man desire, can Heaven bestow 

A more resplendent treasure ? 
Adorn' d with gems so richly bright, 

We '11 form a Constellation, 
Where every Star with modest light 

Shall gild his proper station. 
How grand in age, &c. 



APPENDIX B. 



BUSINESS FORMS. 

No 1. — Application for Initiation and Membership in a Subordi 
nate Lodge. 

[Reading, May 1st, 1849.] 
To the Officers and Members of [Salome] Lodge, No. [1051 I. 0. 
O.F.offPa.] 
Gentlemen : — Having conceived a favorable opinion of Odd- 
Fellowship, and read a copy of your Constitution and By-Laws, 
I ask to be initiated into the Order, and become a member of 
your Lodge. 

My residence is in [South Fifth street,] my age is [thirty-one] 
years, and my occupation that of a [Carpenter.] If admitted, I 
promise obedience to the usages and laws of the Order and of the 
Lodge. 

The Proposition Fee accompanies this. 

Very respectfully yours, [Adam Smith.] 

Proposed and recommended by [Thomas Jones.] 

The Proposition Fee [$3.00] received, and the Proposition re- 
ferred to 



Bra. 



Attest: [William Wake,] Secretary 



John Jacobs,] 
Wm. Dare,] and 
Saml. Johnsox.1 



No. 2. — Report on Application. 

To the N. G., V. G., Officers, and Members of [Salome] Lodge 
No. [105,] I. O. 0. F. of [Pa.] 
Your Committee to whom was referred the -application o\ 
[Adam Smith] for [state whether membership by card or initiation] 

respectfully report, that we have performed the duty assigned us. 

" 411 



412 the odd-fellow's manual. 



and find the candidate [worthy or unworthy] and recommend that 
he be [elected or rejected] accordingly. 

[If an applicant on Card, state the terms on which he is to be re- 
ceived, if worthy.] 

Respectfully yours, in F., L., and T., 

[Signed by Committee.] 
[Date.] 

No. 3. — Certificate for Degrees. 

To [Berks County Degree Lodge, No. 8, I. 0. 0. F. of Pa., at 

[Reading.] 

This certifies that [Adam Smith] a member in good standing 
in [Salome] Lodge, No. [105,] and properly qualified, having 
been duly balloted for, was, this evening, elected to receive the 
[First and Second] Degrees of the Order. You are therefore 
hereby requested and authorized to confer the same on him, he 
paying you the fees for so doing. 

Witness the seal of the Lodge this [7th] day of [August, 1849.] 

[Salome Lodge Seal.] [William Wake,] Secretary. 

Fees received [50 cents,] and Certificate approved by [Degree 
Lodge, No. 8,] August 10th, 1849. [James Long,] Scribe. 

No. 4. — Certificate of Standing and Grade in a Subordinate 
Lodge.* 

To all whom it may concern, this certifies that [Adam Smith] 
is a member of the Third Degree, in good standing in [Salome] 
Lodge, No. [105,] I. 0. 0. F. of [Pa.]. 

Witness the seal of our Lodge this [13thJ day of [November, 
1849.] [John Brown,] N.G. 

[Seal of Salome Lodge.] 

Attest: [William Wake,] Secretary. 

No. 5. — Application to be admitted into an Encampment. 

[Reading, Nov. 14th, 1849.] 
To the C. P., H. P., Officers and Members of [Hebron] Encamp- 
ment, No. [8,] I. 0. 0. F. of [Pa.] 
Brethren : — Having read a copy of your Constitution and By- 
Laws, I now solicit initiation into the Patriarchal Order, and 
membership in your Encampment. The accompanying Certificate 
wil] show my grade and standing in [Salome] Lodge. My resi- 
dence is in [South Fifth street,] my age is [thirty-one] years, and 
my occupation is that of a [Carpenter.] If admitted, I promise 

* To accompany No. 5, or for other purposes that are lawful and proper. 



APPENDIX B. — BUSINESS FORMS. 413 



to obey the laws of the Order and of the Encampment. Enclosed 
I send the Proposition Fee. 
Very respectfully, your Bro. in F., L., and T., 

[Adam Smith." 
Proposed and recommended by [John Franks. 

Proposition Fee [$4.00] received, and the Proposition referred to 
Patriarchs [James Richards,] 

James Wilson,] and 
Levi Wood.] 
[Nov. 16th, 1849.] [John James,] Scribe. 

No. 6. — Application for Benefits in Sickness. 

[Lancaster, June 5th, 1850.] 
To the N. G., V. G., Officers and Brethren of [Salome] Lodge, 
No. [105,] I. 0. O. F. of [Pa.] 
Brethren : — On the [10th] day of [May last,] (as formerly re- 
ported to you,) I was prostrated by a severe illness, and disabled 
from following my occupation until [Monday] last. I send the 
certificate of my physician, and the statement of the N. G. of 
Monterey Lodge of this city. I therefore claim benefits for 
three weeks. If granted, please pay to my wife, whose receipt 
will be as my own. 

Fraternally yours, in F., L., andT., [Adam Smith.] 

Physician's Certificate. 

[Lancaster, June 4th, 1852.] 
(Addressed as above.) 



This certifies that I was called to visit Mr. [Adam Smith] pro- 
of [May last,] and found 
prostrated by a [severe] attack of [bilious diarrhoea.] I have 



fessionally, on the [10th] day of [May last,] and found him 



attended him from that to the present time, and know that he 
was unable to attend to his usual occupation before [yesterday.] 

[John Fitch,] M. D. 

N. Grand's Statement. 

(Dated and addressed as above.) 
Having visited Br. [Adam Smith] during his illness, [on the 
18th, and again on the 25th of May last,] and being personally 
acquainted with [Dr. Fitch] as a man of honor and veracity, 1 
have no doubt the above statements are correct, and that Br. 
[Smith] is entitled to benefits for [three] weeks, so far as disa- 
bility to labor constitutes such claim. 
Fraternally, in F., L., and T., [James Logan,] N. G. 

[Seal of Monterey Lodge.] 
Attest: [R. Weidman,] Secretary. 

N. B. — Application for benefits to an Encampment is in the same form, 
only changing address, &c. Of course, if the By-Laws of the body applied 
to, requires other or different proof from that given in form above, or if the 
case itself requires other certificates, the applicant will make the requisite 
changes. 

35* 



414 the odd-fellow's manual. 



No. 7. — Application for Admission by Card. 

[Fort Plain, Nov. 10th, 1851.] 
To the N. G., V. G., Officers and Brethren of [Montgomery] Lodge. 
No. [164,] 1. 0. 0. F. of [Northern New York.] 
Brethren : — Herewith I present my Card of Withdrawal from 
[Salome] Lodge, No. [105,] I. 0. 0. F. of [Pa.,] and respectfully 
ask to be admitted a member of your Lodge by deposite of the 
same. 

Fraternally yours, in F., L., and T., [A. B. Grosh." 

Presented and recommended by [L. Fox. 

Referred to [3 brethren." 
[S. Keller,] Secretary pro tern. 

N. B. — The application for admission by deposit of Card or Initiation 
into an Encampment is the same, except the necessary change of address, 
and name of the body addressed. 

No. 8. — Petition for a Warrant of a Subordinate Lodge. 

To the [Grand Sire, Officers, and Members] of the Grand Lodge 
of [the United States.] 

The Petition of the undersigned, holding Withdrawal Cards from 
Lodges named opposite to our signatures respectively, and legally 
recognized by your R. W. Body, respectfully represents, that it would 
be consistent with the advantage of the Order, to establish a Sub- 
ordinate Lodge, to be located at in the State of 

Wherefore your Petitioners pray that a Warrant may duly issut 
in pursuance of the Laws of your R. W. Body. 
Dated at this day of 



No. 9. — Petition for a Warrant of a Subordinate Encampment. 

To the M. W. G. Master and Members of the Grand Lodge of TNew 
York.] L 

The Petition of the undersigned Patriarchs, holding Withdrawal 
Cards, from the legal Encampments set opposite our names, [or in- 
structed in the Encampment Degrees, under commission of ti. e Grand 
Sire,] respectfully represents, that it would be consistent with the 
advantage of the Order, to establish a Subordinate Encampment, 
to be located at , in the State of 

Wherefore, your Petitioners pray that a Warrant may duly issue 
in pursuance of the Laws of the R. W. Body. 
Dated at , this day of 



APPENDIX B. — BUSINESS FORMS. 415 



No. 10. — Resignation of Membership. 

[Marietta, Pa., June 3d, 1867.] 

To the [N. G., V. G.,] Officers and [brethren] of [Donegal Lodge] 
No, [129] I. 0. 0. F. of [Pennsylvania.] 

Brethren — I feel constrained to sever my connection with your 
[Lodge] and the Order, and therefore tender this my resignation 
of membership therein. I consider my pledge of honor as binding 
out of the Order as in it. 

Wishing you prosperity in every good word and work, I remain, 
Respectfully yours, 

[Henry Home.] 



No. 11. — Certificate of Resignation. 

[Donegal Lodge], No. [129], I. 0. 0. F., 
June 9th, 1867. 

We certify that Henry Home, being free from all charges in our 
[Lodge] and Order, has resigned his membership in the same, and 
said resignation has been duly accepted. He is therefore no longer 
a member of our [Lodge] and Order. 

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our names and the 
seal of the Lodge at the date above written. 

[seal.] [Horace Honor, N. G.] 

Attest: [Robert Right, Secretary.] 



No. 12. — Form of Card presented to Wife or Widow of an Odd-Fellow. 

Friendship, Love, and Truth. 

INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD-FELLOWS. 

To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting : 

This certifies, that , whose name is indorsed on the 

margin of this Card, in her own proper handwriting, is the [wife] 
of our well beloved Brother who (is) a member of Lodge No. 
held at and working under authority of a Charter 

duly granted by authority of the Right Worthy Grand Lodge of 
the . We therefore recommend her to your Friendship 

and Protection wherever she may be, throughout the world, for 
the space of and no longer. 

In witness whereof, we have subscribed our names and affixed 
the Seal of our Lodge, this day of in the 

year 

[l. s.] , N. G. 

, V. G. 

f Secretary. 



416 THE odd-fellow's manual 



No. 13. — Order for the Term P. W. 

[Reading, Pa., January 3, 1868.J 
To the [N. G.] of [Donegal] Lodge, No. [129], I. 0. 0. F. of 
[Pennsylvania.] Please communicate to Brother [C. C, P. G.], a 
member in good standing in this [Lodge], the P. W. and E. of the 
current Term, he being entitled to the same, and oblige 
Yours, fraternally, in F., L., and T., 

[Wm. Smith, N. G.J 
[seal.] 
Attest: [Jacob Jones, Secretary.] 



No. 14. — Order for the A. T. P. W. for a Member, or Daughter of 
Rebekah's A. P. W. 

[Shenandoah Lodge, No. 95, I. 0. 0. F., of the State of New York. 
"Cdca, July 1st, 1868.] 

To the [Noble Grand] of any [Lodge] of the L 0. 0. F. 
The bearer [Brother, Patriarch, or Sister (as may be). Name as in 
the card] holding a legal card from this [Lodge], dated the [first] 
iay of [July], eighteen hundred and [sixty-eight], for the period 
of [six] months, is entitled to the [A. T. P. W.. or A. P. W. of tht 
Deg. of R.~\ for the current year, which please communicate to 
[him] after due examination — whereupon you will retain or de- 
stroy this letter. 

[seal.] , [N. G. or C. P.] 

, [Sec. or Scribe.] 

N. B. — Have the card signed in your presence. 

, [N. G. or C. P.] 



No. 15. — Certificate for Past Official Degrees. 

[Date.] 
To the D. D. G. Master of [Oneida] District of I. 0. 0. F. of 
[New York.] 

This is to certify that Brother [James Grant] has lawfully and 
faithfully served the required terms of office [as Secretary, as 
Vice-Grand, and as Noble Grand] in [Oneida] Lodge, No. [70,] 
T. 0. 0. F. of the State of [New York,] and is therefore entitled to 
receive the Past Official Degrees of those several offices ; and you 
are therefore respectfully requested to confer the same upon him 
in proper form. 

Fraternally yours in F., L., and T., 

[James Browu. N. G.] 
[seal.] 
Attest: [Samuel Scribe, Secretary.] 



APPENDIX B. — BUSINESS FORMS. 417 



No. 16. — Certificate of Past Noble Grand. 

To the Eight Worthy Grand Lodge of the State of [Pennsylvania] 
I. 0. 0. F. 

Lodge, No. — . 

This is to certify, that Bro. Past Grand is a 

member in good standing in this Lodge — that he has received the 
First, Second, and Third Degrees of the Order — that he has been 
duly elected to, and has served in, the office of Noble Grand for 
one Elective Term next ensuing his election, discharging the duties of 
his office in a satisfactory manner ; and that he is entitled to mem- 
bership in the Grand Lodge of [Pennsylvania;] we therefore re- 
spectfully request that he may be acknowledged accordingly. 

Witness our hands and the Seal of the Lodge, at 
in the State of [Pennsylvania], this day of 
a. d. 18 . 
[seal.] 

, N. G. 

, Secretary. 

No. 17. — Representative's Certificate to Grand Lodge. 

To the Right Worthy Grand Lodge of [Pennsylvania], I. 0. 0. F. 
This is to certify, that P. G. has been duly elected 

the Representative of this Lodge, in your body, to serve until the 
[first] day of [July], 18 . 

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands, and affixed 
the Seal of Lodge, No. , this day of 18 . 

[seal.] 

, N. G. 

, Secretary. 

Note. — By proper changes in the words enclosed in [brackets], 
all the foregoing forms can be adapted to any jurisdiction, Lodge, 
or Encampment. But in all cases where the ruling Grand Body 
has prescribed other forms, those prescribed forms should be used, 
of course, in preference to these. The above are to be used only 
where better forms are not furnished. 

2B 



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